Step into Darkness
by cleotheo
Summary: While at Grimmauld Place, Hermione Granger overhears a secret that rocks her entire world and changes her life forever. Her actions to try and save her life sends her down a path that will ultimately lead both her and her best friend, Harry Potter, to step into darkness. First part in the Darkness trilogy. Eventual Dark Hermione! and eventual Dark Harry!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – I first started this story a while ago and it came back into my head over my Christmas break. My intention was just to add a chapter or two and then go back to the Goddess of Vengeance Sequel, but this story took over. Not only did it turn into a trilogy, but it also turned into a Dark Harry. I am a good way through the second part, and I have every faith it will be finished before this one is finished publishing. However, I can't guarantee that all three parts of this story will be published back to back. Basically, I'll publish each part when I've finished them, and there might be gaps in between. As for the Goddess sequel, it's still got a fair bit of work to go, but I'm still hopeful it will be published this year and I will make an announcement about it's publication as soon as I have something definite to say.**

 **Onto Step into Darkness, which is the first part of the Darkness trilogy. This trilogy features both a dark Hermione and a Dark Harry, so if that isn't your thing, this story is not for you. This first part is really all about setting the scene, and doesn't feature too much darkness. In fact Harry's only in a few chapters even though I've listed him as a main character, because he's a main character throughout the trilogy. Updates will be Monday and Friday, and Step into Darkness has 19 chapters in total. Enjoy!**

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Hermione Granger quietly explored the dusty library at Grimmauld Place, running her fingers over the books as she looked for something to read. She'd arrived at Grimmauld Place a few days earlier to spend the majority of her summer holidays with her friends, and while she'd tried to make herself useful to the newly reformed Order of the Phoenix, she was conscious of not getting in anyone's way. The Order had been kind enough to let her spend most of her summer holidays with them, so she didn't want to be a nuisance.

Currently several members of the Order were discussing plans to go and get her best friend, Harry Potter, from where he lived with his mother's relatives. Hermione didn't know the whole story, but she knew Harry had been in a bit of bother over the holidays and sometime over the summer he would have to face a hearing at the Ministry to determine if he could go back to Hogwarts. Hermione was worried about what the future might hold for her best friend, but the rest of the Order were confident that Harry's hearing would go just fine and there would be no further problems.

Hermione hoped that they were right, as the last thing Harry needed was to be kicked out of school. Harry was currently being vilified in the press for claiming that the dark wizard Lord Voldemort was back. At the end of the previous school year, Harry had encountered a rejuvenated Voldemort, and had barely escaped with his life. The boy who was accidentally with Harry at the time, Cedric Diggory, hadn't been as fortunate, but even Cedric's death wasn't enough to convince the authorities that Harry had been telling the truth. And since the Ministry were refusing to believe Harry, the official line in the wizarding world was that Harry was a liar and an attention seeker.

Hermione was looking forward to Harry arriving at Grimmauld Place. Their other best friend, Ron Weasley, and his family were around quite a bit, but it wasn't quite the same without Harry around. Ron's mother, Molly, was always nice enough towards Hermione and she never said anything untoward, but Hermione got the distinct feeling that the older witch didn't like her. Not that Hermione had ever been able to figure out just what she'd done to warrant Molly's dislike.

Shaking her head to dispel unpleasant thoughts, Hermione turned her focus back to finding a book to read. There were several choices, but eventually Hermione settled on a wizarding mystery novel. Spotting a large cosy chair beside the fire, Hermione curled herself up on it and began to read.

For over an hour she lost herself in the pages of the book, and she was so engrossed that she initially didn't hear the library door opening and two people entering the room. It wasn't until she heard Molly Weasley's voice that Hermione realised that she wasn't alone. She was also guessing that since Molly and whoever she was with hadn't spoke to her, they couldn't see her curled in the large chair from where they were standing.

"What's this about Molly?" Sirius Black, Harry's Potter's godfather asked, just as Hermione was about to make her presence known.

"There's something you need to know before Harry arrives," Molly said. "Something about Hermione."

At the mention of her name, Hermione slunk back lower in her chair so she wouldn't be seen. Not only would it be awkward to reveal herself now, but she wanted to hear what Molly had to say about her. Maybe she was about to discover the reason Molly didn't like her.

"Hermione?" Sirius questioned and Hermione could hear the bewilderment in his voice.

"She's not who you think she is, Sirius," Molly warned in a low voice. "She's You-Know-Who's daughter."

Hermione had to clap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying out in distress, but fortunately Sirius's surprised exclamation drowned out any sound she might have made.

"She can't be," Sirius gasped.

"She is," Molly replied, sounding very sure of herself.

"How can you be so sure?" Sirius asked.

"Dumbledore," Molly answered simply.

"Dumbledore," Sirius repeated, clearly wanting more information.

Hermione herself wanted more information, and it was taking all her willpower not to jump to her feet and demand Molly told her what she knew.

"He spoke to Arthur and I a few weeks after Ron started Hogwarts," Molly explained. "He told us who Hermione was and how he'd manipulated the hat to put her in Gryffindor where she could hopefully befriend Harry and Ron."

"Are you telling me he deliberately put her back in our lives?" Sirius asked.

Hermione frowned at the wording of Sirius statement as it began to occur to her that not once had Sirius expressed surprise that Voldemort had a daughter. He'd clearly been shocked by what Molly had said about her being the daughter, but he hadn't questioned Voldemort actually having a daughter in the first place.

"Yes," Molly answered in disgust. Hermione couldn't see her face, but she could just imagine the look of disdain on it.

"Why?" Sirius demanded. "Why would he do this? It took months of work for us to snatch You-Know-Who's daughter in the first place. Why would he risk bringing her back to the wizarding world?"

"I asked him the very same question, and he reckons who her father is doesn't matter," Molly replied.

"Doesn't matter? Of course it matters," Sirius exploded. "Her father is the bloody Dark Lord for crying out loud. He murdered my best friends and left their son an orphan. And Dumbledore thinks it's okay to let that monster's daughter befriend, Harry? Her father is the reason he has no parents."

Hermione winced at the harshness of Sirius's words and she curled herself into an even smaller ball. She was horrified by what she was hearing, and she didn't know what was worse, hearing that she was Voldemort's daughter or hearing the Order had clearly taken her from her parents when she was younger. Everything was so messed up, and Hermione's head was already spinning, but she knew she was stuck in the library until Molly and Sirius had finished talking and she could escape unnoticed back to the bedroom she'd been given.

"Wasn't she supposed to be placed with a family that wanted nothing to do with our world?" Sirius barked. "Dumbledore assured us when we took her that we wouldn't have to deal with her again."

"He was wrong, because he's not only brought her back into our world, he's brought her right into our lives," Molly replied.

"Didn't you complain?" Sirius asked.

"Of course I did. But Dumbledore was adamant she wasn't a threat. And I could hardly warn Ron off her without having to tell him who she was. So for four years I've been forced to be pleasant to that little witch, all the time knowing she's the spawn of the devil."

"I'm telling you now that I'm not going to play along with whatever game Dumbledore is playing," Sirius spat.

"What are you going to do?" Molly asked eagerly.

"I don't know yet, but I will not have her worming her way into Harry's affections," Sirius replied in a firm voice. "I will do whatever it takes to get her away from my godson."

"Dumbledore won't just let us tell the truth," Molly warned. "Don't forget, we all played a part in her kidnapping when she was just a baby. I will not go to Azkaban for what we did back then."

"I wasn't thinking of telling the truth," Sirius replied with a cold chuckle that sent shivers down Hermione's spine. "Don't forget, we're at war, and the world is a dangerous place at the moment, so I'm sure an accident won't arouse too many suspicions."

"Count me in on whatever you're planning," Molly said. "I want her out of our lives, this time for good."

"Don't worry Molly, we'll get rid of her," Sirius said reassuringly. "I won't risk all of our lives, just because Dumbledore thinks she can be trusted. The whole reason for taking her was so that she wasn't raised with magic. All it would take is one spark to light the darkness that will inevitably be in her soul. Having her around is too damn dangerous."

"We can't tell anyone else though," Molly warned. "I've been the lone voice against Hermione for four years, Sirius. No-one else is going to support us."

"We don't need anyone else," Sirius said firmly. "We can get rid of Hermione ourselves, but in the meantime we're just going to have to act as though everything is fine. Can you do that?"

"I've been doing it for four years, a few more weeks won't hurt," Molly replied.

Still curled up on the chair, silent tears streaming down her face, Hermione listened as the pair left the library. For a long time she couldn't move as she was gripped with fear. Her life was in danger, and she knew that if she stayed with the Order she was going to be killed. Running back home wouldn't solve the issue as she'd never been close to her parents, and now she knew why. They weren't her real parents, and she doubted they would be able to protect her from Molly and Sirius.

Logically she knew the best person to protect her was Voldemort himself, if indeed what Molly and Sirius were saying was true and she was his daughter. However, Hermione didn't know if she wanted to be Voldemort's daughter, or at least she didn't know if she wanted to embrace being his daughter. Gut instinct told her that Molly and Sirius had been speaking the truth, but just because she was Voldemort's flesh and blood didn't mean she wanted to stand by his side. However, to survive she just might need his protection.

Eventually Hermione managed to get up from the chair and on unsteady feet she headed back to the bedroom she'd been given. Curling up on the lone bed in the room, she stared at the bare wall as she tried to decide what to do next. She was still staring at the wall when Ginny burst into the room to let her know that dinner was ready.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, looking down at Hermione. "You look really pale."

"I'm not feeling well," Hermione replied, surprised she could even manage to get the words out as she was still so upset at everything she'd heard.

"You stay here, and I'm sure Mum will send some soup up," Ginny said with a kind smile.

"I don't want to be a burden," Hermione whispered.

"You're not a burden, you're our friend," Ginny said. "You get some rest Hermione, and I'll make sure you get something to eat later on."

"Thank you Ginny," Hermione replied softly as the red-headed girl left the room and returned downstairs.

Half an hour later Hermione heard footsteps on the stairs again and when the door opened, Molly bustled in with a tray holding a bowl of steaming chicken soup and some bread. Placing the tray on the bedside table, Molly put on a good show of fussing around Hermione, but now she knew the truth she could see the lack of empathy in Molly's actions. It was glaringly obvious that she was going through the motions and that she honestly couldn't care less how Hermione was feeling.

"Just yell is you need anything," Molly said as she bustled back out of the room.

Hermione warily eyed the soup Molly had left, wondering if it was poisoned. However, a poisoning would raise questions and if one thing had been made clear that afternoon was that her death would either be put down as a tragic accident, or the result of the war. Deciding it was safe to eat the soup, Hermione did so more out of necessity rather than actually been hungry. No matter what was going on, starving herself wasn't going to help. She needed to keep her strength up, especially if she was going to fight for her life, and despite everything she'd discovered that afternoon, Hermione wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Curling back up, Hermione returned her focus on what she was going to do next. She was trying not to think too much about the fact she was Voldemort's daughter as it was still too hard to believe. However, she knew she couldn't just bury her head in the sand. Unless she wanted to die, she had to find a way to get away from the Order, in particular Molly and Sirius. And like it or not, Hermione was becoming increasingly convinced that in order to get away she needed to seek the help of her father.

Not that gaining Voldemort's help was going to be easy. Not only did she have no idea where he was, she could hardly just walk up to him and tell him she was his long lost daughter. She would be killed before she got anywhere near him. What she needed was a way to contact him, maybe via someone he knew and trusted.

"Professor Snape," Hermione whispered to herself as an image of her Potions Professor entered her head.

Severus Snape's allegiances were dubious and Hermione knew he had ties to both sides of the war. He was a Death Eater, but he also seemed loyal to Dumbledore and the headmaster was convinced he was truly on the side of the light. Not that it really mattered what side he was on. All that mattered was that he had access to Voldemort, and right now that could be the key to saving Hermione's life. She was going to have to throw herself on Snape's mercy and hope that he would do everything he could to protect her. Hermione's life now depended on trusting Severus Snape with the earth shattering secret she'd learned that afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – After writing for so many years and posting so many stories, I really didn't think I needed to clarify the pairing in this story as aside from my recent explorations into writing some Lucissa based stories, I only write Dramione. So just in case there was any doubt this trilogy is a Dramione.**

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Luck was very much on Hermione's side and the very next day, Severus Snape paid a visit to Grimmauld Place. In the time since she'd arrived at headquarters, Hermione had managed to deduce that the potions master didn't like being anywhere near the house and its occupants, in particular Sirius. Hermione knew the pair had a past, and she was hoping that past would help Snape save her from a wizard he clearly didn't like.

While Snape was talking with the Order members, the youngsters were sent out of the kitchen. The Weasleys all complained bitterly about being shut out, but Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and announced she was going to the library to read for a bit. However, instead of going to the library, Hermione hovered around the hallway leading from the kitchen and the second Snape emerged, she pounced on the head of Slytherin.

"Sir, I need to talk to you," she hissed quietly, not wanting anyone to hear them talking. "In private."

"And just what would you have to talk to me in private about Miss Granger?" Severus asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I can't say here," Hermione answered quickly, her eyes constantly darting from side to side to ensure they weren't seen talking. "Please Sir, it's a matter of life and death."

Severus didn't reply immediately and Hermione feared he was going to turn her away, but then he nodded once and agreed they could talk.

"Not here," Hermione whispered. "You need to get me out of here."

"Very well," Severus replied, not sounding too sure. "You can come back to my cottage. If we're quick, no-one will see us leaving."

"Thank you Sir," Hermione replied with a grateful smile.

Quickly checking that people were either still in the kitchen of upstairs, Hermione and Severus made a dash to the front door. With no-one in Grimmauld Place any the wiser, Hermione left the house with the potions professor and he whisked them off to his cottage without another word.

Hermione was silent as she followed Severus into a small cottage. The walls in the front room were lined with books, but Hermione ignored her urge to explore as she continued to follow Severus towards the kitchen at the back of the house. In the kitchen, Severus made some tea while Hermione nervously sat down and mentally ran over what she was going to say. Although it all sounded so crazy in her head she was beginning to doubt if Severus would even believe her.

"What is so urgent you had to talk to me, Miss Granger?" Severus asked as he sat down opposite Hermione, obviously uncomfortable with having a student in his home.

"My life is in danger," Hermione blurted. "Molly and Sirius plan to kill me."

Severus let out a sharp burst of laughter at the announcement, but he quickly calmed down when he saw that Hermione was deadly serious. In fact she looked as though she was on the verge of tears, and Severus felt guilty for laughing at what was obviously a very real concern for her.

"Sorry," he offered. "I didn't mean to laugh, but it's such a wild allegation."

"It is," Hermione agreed, blinking back the tears that she was determined not to shed. "If I hadn't heard them myself, I never would have believed it."

"I think you need to start at the beginning," Severus said gently. "Why would Molly and Sirius want to kill you?"

"They think I'm dangerous and they don't want me near Harry and Ron," Hermione replied.

"Tell me everything," Severus urged as he took a drink of his tea.

Taking a drink of her own, Hermione told Severus the entire story. She repeated what she'd heard virtually word for word as the entire incident was etched on her brain. When she was finished, she was aware how crazy the entire thing sounded and she was preparing herself for Severus to dismiss her and tell her she was being ridiculous. However, Severus's expression was shocked, but not disbelieving.

"It's true, isn't it?" Hermione whispered. "I'm Voldemort's daughter."

"I don't know," Severus admitted. "I've never heard of The Dark Lord having a daughter, but I know a man who will know."

"But you're not dismissing it out of hand," Hermione said. "You think Molly and Sirius could be right in who I am."

"I see no reason for them to make such a thing up," Severus said. "And from what you heard, it sounded like the Order snatched you when you were just a child. I wasn't really involved with them back then, and I was too lowly within the Death Eaters to know anything about The Dark Lord's private life. However, if he did have a child and the Order found out about her, I could very well picture them taking extreme action to remove her from him."

"And do you think I'm in danger now?" Hermione asked.

"I certainly do," Severus replied with a severe nod. "Even if they're on the wrong track, Molly and Black have this idea in their head and I doubt either of will be persuaded they're wrong. They're both stubborn, and Black may have been wrongly imprisoned for years, but he's no angel. If he's set his sights on you, you're not safe."

"Will you help me?" Hermione questioned pleadingly. "Please Sir, you're my only hope. I can't go back to the Order. If I do Molly and Sirius will make sure I'm killed."

"I'll help you," Severus promised. "But I think one of the first things we need to do is establish if you are The Dark Lord's daughter. I can promise you that if you are who the Order think you are, The Dark Lord will protect you."

"He'll expect me to fight alongside him though, won't he?" Hermione said with a sigh. Part of her longed for his protection, but she hadn't even dealt with the fact she was possibly his daughter, let alone given any consideration to switching sides and joining the dark.

"I don't know what he'll expect," Severus replied honestly. "But I do know he'll protect you and ensure no harm comes to you. Right now, that's exactly what we want."

"So are you just going to go up to him and tell him about me?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Definitely not," Severus replied with a chuckle. "If you don't mind I would like to send for a friend of mine. He'll know if The Dark Lord has a daughter, and if so what happened to her."

"Send for your friend," Hermione said, already suspecting that the potions master would be sending for Lucius Malfoy.

Sure enough fifteen minutes later, Lucius Malfoy arrived at the cottage. His surprise at seeing Hermione sitting at Severus's kitchen table was evident, but he held his tongue as Severus gave him a cup of tea and asked for his help.

"I do hope this is not some sordid affair you're about to reveal Severus," Lucius drawled, his grey eyes studying Hermione. "Not only is she a muggleborn, but she's under-age. I have influence, but not enough to make this acceptable."

"Don't be so disgusting Lucius," Severus snapped. "Hermione is a student, and she came to me for help."

"Hermione is it?" Lucius raised a blond eyebrow at Severus's use of Hermione's first name.

"Lucius behave," Severus warned. "Hermione, tell him what you told me."

Trying not to be too intimidated by Lucius's piercing grey eyes watching her every move, Hermione repeated her story for the second time. The second she mentioned being Voldemort's daughter, Lucius drew in a sharp breath and she felt his scrutiny grow more intense. By the time she was finished her story, Lucius was gazing at her in wonder.

"It is true," Hermione stated in a whisper. She knew just from the way Lucius was looking at her that everything she'd heard was true. She was Voldemort's daughter.

"The Dark Lord had a daughter?" Severus questioned, looking at his friend.

"Yes," Lucius replied in a stunned whisper. "Her name was Hope."

"Was?" Hermione questioned. "What happened to her?"

"She died," Lucius answered. "Or at least that's what we thought. Now it's looking like Dumbledore took you and faked your death. How did he even know about you?"

"I could hardly ask questions," Hermione said with a snort. "I was lucky not to be seen as it was. I could hardly pop up and ask the details of my kidnapping. What happened to make you think Hope was dead?"

"Hope was taken ill and having trouble with her breathing. The nanny rushed her to hospital, but there were difficulties and she died," Lucius said. "Obviously it was all an elaborate scam on Dumbledore's part. Staff at the hospital had to have been involved, and likely the nanny. I'm sure The Dark Lord will find everyone involved and punish them."

"What about my mother?" Hermione asked.

"I'm afraid she's dead," Lucius replied regretfully. "She couldn't cope with losing her daughter and she took her own life. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Hermione whispered, her mind stuck on all the lives that had been destroyed by her kidnapping. Not only had the Order messed with her life, they'd caused her mother to take her own life.

"What should we do now?" Severus asked. "Hermione can't go back to the Order. Molly and Black want rid of her, and it was clear they'd willingly kill her to have her out of their lives."

"First we need to be sure that Hermione really is Hope," Lucius said. "I can't go to The Dark Lord and tell him his daughter is alive without proof."

"How do you plan on getting proof?" Hermione asked.

"There's tests we can do," Lucius replied. "It'll take a few hours, but by tonight we'll know for sure who you really are."

"So what happens until then? Do I stay here?" Hermione questioned.

"I think the manor will be better," Lucius said. "Sooner or later the Order are going to realise you're missing, and with the talents of their members they should be able to track you easily enough. However, even if they track you to the manor, they stand no chance of getting to you. You'll be safe there."

"And what if I'm not Hope?" Hermione asked with a frown. "What if someone's got their wires crossed along the way, and I am just a simple muggleborn? Will I be thrown to the wolves?"

"No," Severus said with a shake of his head. "I promised I would look after you, and I will. If you're not Hope, Lucius can bring you back here and I can make sure you're safe. I won't let anyone kill you, Hermione, you have my word."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered, shooting her professor a grateful smile.

"Although I have to say, the more I'm seeing of you, the more convinced I am you are Hope," Lucius said. "You've certainly got your father's fire and your eyes are so very like your mother's. But still, tests need to be done before we can approach The Dark Lord."

"Are we leaving now?" Hermione asked as Lucius rose to his feet.

"Unless you've got things to pack," Lucius replied.

"No, I never thought to grab anything," Hermione said with a frown. "All I've got is my wand and the clothes I'm wearing."

"Then you've got the most important thing," Lucius said. "As long as you have your wand, everything else can be acquired new. We can sort you out with a change of clothes once you're settled in at the manor."

"Are you coming with us?" Hermione asked Severus. The thought of going off alone with Lucius Malfoy was making her nervous, and for some reason she felt safe with Severus around.

"I can if that's alright with Lucius," Severus said.

"Come," Lucius said with a nod. "We can get the tests started and have the results by this evening."

Without further ado, Lucius gently took hold of Hermione's arm and apparated her to Malfoy Manor. They landed in the centre of a warm, welcoming room and seconds after they'd landed the fire in the corner lit up and Severus alighted, brushing a few stray bits of soot off his shoulder.

"I think we should start the tests straight away," Lucius said. "I can then have one of the elves show you to a spare room."

"I'd rather wait for the test results," Hermione said. "There's no point getting settled unless I'm staying here."

"As you wish," Lucius replied with a nod as he led the way to the door and out into the vastness of the manor.

Hermione silently followed Lucius and Severus, taking in the opulent decorations and elegant feeling of the manor. She hadn't given much thought to Malfoy Manor before, but if she had she would have thought of it as cold and unwelcoming, a bit like its owners. However, the manor was glorious and felt like a real home, and it wasn't as if Lucius was the cold, uncaring wizard she'd always thought he was. Aside from his first crack about her being Severus's lover, he'd been polite and considerate and he and Severus were chatting away like the good friends they clearly were.

Eventually they entered a room that was set up like a potions laboratory. Hermione was seated on a chair, where she watched Lucius and Severus set up several different cauldrons and prepare different ingredients. At one point Lucius summoned a house elf and spoke quietly to it before it vanished before Hermione got a chance to complain about the use of house elves. Two minutes later the elf returned and again she didn't have time to protest before it had handed something to Lucius and vanished again.

"I just need a few things from you," Lucius said as he approached Hermione. "A strand of your hair, a blood sample and your magic."

"How do I give you my magic?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Easy," Lucius replied with a smile. "You merely cast a spell over the cauldron I tell you to."

Hermione gave the samples Lucius had asked for and watched as her hair was dropped into one cauldron and her blood into another one. She was then taken to a third cauldron and sent a spell into the bubbling liquid as directed.

"Now what?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Now we wait," Lucius replied.

Waiting took nearly two hours, but finally a timer Severus had set went off and he and Lucius rushed over to the first cauldron. They took a sample from all three cauldrons and carried them over to a bench where Lucius had laid out a scrap of black robes which he explained belonged to Voldemort. One by one they poured the potions over the robes and when the final potion touched the robe, it began to shimmer and the black material turned gold.

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.

"It means that you're The Dark Lord's daughter," Lucius said with a smile as he turned to Hermione. "Welcome back, Hope."


	3. Chapter 3

A frowning Ron Weasley entered the kitchen at Grimmauld Place with his sister, Ginny and twin brothers, Fred and George right behind him. Taking a look around the kitchen his frown deepened when he found no sign of the witch he was looking for. There were still a few members of the Order left behind following the earlier meeting, but none were who Ron and his siblings were looking for.

"What's wrong?" Nymphadora Tonks, one of the new, younger members of the Order asked the newly arrived foursome.

"We're looking for Hermione," Ron replied. "Have any of you seen her?"

"Not since you all left before the meeting," Remus Lupin, a former Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, replied.

"Have you tried the library?" Molly asked, barely glancing up from where she was brewing a pot of tea. "That girl always has her head in a book."

"That's where she said she'd be, but she's not there," Ginny informed her mother.

"Nor is she in her room, or anywhere else we've looked," Fred supplied, pre-empting the suggestion that they checked her bedroom.

"Just where have you looked?" Remus asked with a frown.

"Everywhere but here," Ron answered. "And Hermione is not in this house."

"That's impossible," Tonks said with a delicate snort. "She can't have just vanished into thin air."

"We're telling you, she's not here," Ron insisted.

"We're worried," George said.

"I'm sure there's no need to be worried," Molly said, finally turning away from the tea she'd been making. "Hermione has to be here somewhere."

"Let's search the house again," Tonks said as she rose to her feet. "Remus and I will help you look," she offered.

"Okay, but we won't find her," Ron grumbled, obviously worried about his friend.

Despite Ron's pessimism, Tonks and Remus joined the search for Hermione, positive that they would find her settled in some dusty corner of the house, her nose stuck in a book and totally unaware of the fuss that was being made. However their optimism was soon dented and after a thorough search of the house, they were forced to agree with the fact that Hermione was nowhere to be found. It did indeed appear as though she'd vanished into thin air.

"Could she have left the house?" Remus asked Sirius when they returned to the kitchen.

"I guess so," Sirius replied with a shrug. "We don't have wards preventing people from coming and going as they please. I guess she could have just walked out of the front door."

"But why would she do that?" Ron demanded. "And where would she go? Her parents live miles away, and she doesn't know the area to try and find her way to somewhere like Diagon Alley."

"I have no idea why she would leave the house," Sirius admitted. "But she has to have left the house somehow. I'll go and see if my mother known anything."

A portrait of Sirius's mother hung beside the front door and since the house had been taken over by the Order of the Phoenix she'd done nothing but shout about her house being invaded by blood traitors. Although it was just occurring to Sirius that his mother had never made a remark about Hermione being a muggleborn, so maybe his mother's portrait could sense that she wasn't who she claimed to be.

However, Sirius's mother was no help and according to her she hadn't seen anything. Sirius got the distinct impression his mother was lying to him, but there was nothing he could do in order to make a portrait tell him the truth. All he could do was snarl at his worthless mother and yank a velvet curtain across her picture, which he'd hung beside her portrait to cover her up when she being particularly nasty. Annoyed by his mother's lack of help, he turned to head back to the kitchen only to find Molly hovering behind him.

"Was it you?" she whispered urgently, checking that no-one had followed her out of the kitchen.

"Was what me?" he asked in confusion.

"Hermione going missing," Molly hissed. "Is it your doing?"

"No, it's not," Sirius answered in a low voice. "Come on Molly, do you really think I'd be so stupid as to do something to her under my own roof. When I spoke of getting rid of her, I meant once she was away from here."

"So where is she then?" Molly asked.

"I have no idea," Sirius answered. "But I swear to you, this has nothing to do with me. I would have told you if I'd been planning anything."

"I know," Molly conceded with a nod of her head. "But you have to admit, there's something not right here."

"I agree, there's certainly something dodgy going on," Sirius concurred. "Do you think it's possible Hermione knows who she is, and has left her of her own accord?"

"I don't think she knows who she is," Molly replied. "But then again, we've only got Dumbledore's word for it. Who knows what the people who raised her have told her about her past. For all we know she might have been secretly plotting against us for these last four years."

"Which is exactly why she never should have been allowed anywhere near us," Sirius growled, his frustration with Dumbledore and the choices he'd made evident for Molly to see and hear. "Given who her father is, it was just stupid to trust her. Even if she doesn't know the truth, she's still dangerous."

"I suppose this could be a good thing," Molly suggested hopefully. "She might be gone without us having to lift a finger."

"Do you honestly think it's going to be left like this?" Sirius snorted. "She's missing, and you can bet your last galleon that a full scale search will take soon take place. No-one is going to let this rest until we know where she is and why she left. And you can bet that Dumbledore will be putting in an appearance soon to stick his oar into matters."

"When he does turn up, I'm going to have a quiet word with him and suggest that we just leave Hermione to whatever fate is coming her way," Molly said. "She should have been left out of our world to begin with, so there's no sense searching for her and bringing her back into the fold."

"I very much doubt Dumbledore will listen," Sirius said with a sigh. "Something tells me that wherever Hermione is, and whatever has happened to her, we haven't seen the last of her. Mark my words Molly, you and I will still have to deal with her if we want the people we love to be safe."

Sharing a resigned sigh, and bracing themselves to have to spend the next few hours acting concerned about Hermione, the pair headed back to the kitchen to deliver the news that Sirius's mother had been no help. Not that anyone had expected her to be helpful, and it had already been decided that it was time they called for help in the form of the headmaster of Hogwarts and leader of the Order, Albus Dumbledore.

Despite neither Sirius or Molly really wanting Dumbledore around, they didn't protest the idea and instead pretended as though it was the best idea to call for reinforcements. It didn't take long for Dumbledore to arrive, but by the time he entered the kitchen, Molly had made a fresh pot of tea and was looking as worried and concerned as her children. Even Sirius was putting on a concerned act, and as he sat down to find out what was going on, Dumbledore had no idea that not everyone was worried about Hermione.

"This is worrying," Dumbledore muttered with a frown. "And we're sure Miss Granger is definitely not in the house anywhere?"

"We've searched it twice," Ron said. "There's no sign of her."

"But nothing belonging to her is missing," Tonks informed the headmaster. As an Auror she knew what to look for in cases of missing people, but from what she and Ginny had ascertained there was nothing missing from Hermione's room.

"Her wand is in the house?" Dumbledore asked.

"We didn't find her wand," Tonks replied. "But we assumed she had it on her. Most people carry their wands with them."

"True," Dumbledore said with a thoughtful nod. "So it's not looking like she's merely ran away."

"Of course she hasn't ran away," Ron snorted in disgust. "Something bad has happened to her, I just know it has."

"Try not to upset yourself, Ron," Molly soothed, patting her youngest son's shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this and find out what's happened."

"And how are we going to do that?" Fred asked, exchanging worried looks with his twin brother. Even though Hermione was best friends with their younger brother, they were both fond of the witch and thought of her as a good friend.

"Firstly, I think taking a look at Miss Granger's movements today might help us," Dumbledore said as he got to his feet. "If someone could show me to her room, I can use something of hers to begin a tracking spell."

With no-one wanting to miss anything, everyone headed up to the room Hermione had been assigned when she'd arrived at Grimmauld Place. Using her brush, which had several strands of long brunette curls caught in the bristles, Dumbledore cast a spell which would show them Hermione's movements for the day. The spell manifested itself as a golden ball and as the ball moved around the room, it left a golden trail in it's wake.

"Now what?" Ron asked as the ball floated out of the room, leaving a trail for them to follow.

"The ball is following in Miss Granger's footsteps," Dumbledore explained as they all left the bedroom and followed the golden trail. "It will show us everywhere she's been since rising this morning. Eventually it will hopefully show us where she disappeared to."

For the next five minutes the group trailed the golden ball around the house as it showed them how Hermione had spent her day. Eventually the ball ended up in the kitchen, and when it departed from the kitchen it travelled to the foot of the stairs before turning into the dark corridor that led to the library.

"I think this was the last time we saw her," George said. "When people began to arrive for the Order meeting, we all went upstairs, and Hermione went to the library."

"Not according to this she didn't," Remus pointed out, nodding to where the golden ball merely hovered in the darkness and made no move towards the library.

After a few minutes hovering in the hallway, the ball returned to the main corridor before floating towards the front door. It then passed through the door and when Dumbledore pulled open the door there was no sign of the ball or it's golden trail.

"What went wrong?" Ron asked with a frown as they all stood on the doorstep, gazing outside to see if they could spot the trail and find where Hermione had vanished to.

"Nothing," Dumbledore said quietly. "The spell has done it's job."

"But it's vanished, and we still don't know where Hermione went," Ginny pointed out with a frown.

"On the contrary," Dumbledore replied. "We know she left the house via the front door, and given the fact the trail had disappeared on the doorstep, it means that is exactly what Hermione did."

"You can't just vanish into thin air," Ron snorted.

"You can if you apparate," Tonks said with a slight frown. "But Hermione isn't old enough to apparate."

"Nor does she know how," Remus added.

"So what are you saying?" Ron demanded. "That she left this house with someone who could apparate and they took her somewhere?"

"It would seem to be the most logical explanation," Dumbledore said as he quietly shut the front door and led the way back to the kitchen. "We need to contact everyone who was at the meeting and ask them about Hermione."

"That will take ages," Ron complained. "And even then, people could lie. How do we even know she's safe? There has to be some way we can check on her?"

"I can perform a locating spell, but it will take time," Dumbledore said quietly, removing his glasses and cleaning them before perching them back on his nose. "It might be easier to see if I can get the Ministry to activate her under-age magic trace."

"Even that will take time," Tonks warned. "Even with your influence, we won't get anywhere before the morning."

"We can't wait all night, not knowing what's happened to Hermione," Ron protested. "She could be in danger as we speak."

"I'm afraid she could," Dumbledore agreed with a sad sigh. "But these things take time, Mr Weasley. I promise you that I will do my very best to find Hermione and get her home safely, but I think for now we have to accept that we're not going to know where she is until tomorrow. We just have to hope that wherever she is, she's safe and is in no immediate danger."

Not at all impressed with the fact there seemed to be very little more they could do that day, Ron stormed off to his bedroom. Ginny and the twins went after him, while Tonks and Remus started to contact the Order who had been at the earlier meeting and recalled them to Grimmauld Place for another meeting, where they would each be questioned about Hermione. While that was going on, Sirius reminded Dumbledore that Harry still needed to be retrieved from his relatives house, and he made it clear that he wasn't going to let his godson be forgotten about while all the attention was on Hermione.

"Don't worry Sirius," Dumbledore reassured the younger wizard. "Harry will still be coming to Grimmauld Place tomorrow evening as arranged. Hopefully by then we'll have some answers, and maybe Hermione will even be back where she belongs."

"Speaking of which, I need a private word, Albus," Molly said, pulling the headmaster to one side as Sirius headed off to help Tonks and Remus gather the Order. "Are we sure we should be looking for Hermione?" she asked once she was sure they were alone and no-one could hear what they were saying.

"And why wouldn't we look for her?" Dumbledore asked, feigning confusion even though he knew exactly what Molly was getting at.

"Because of who she is," Molly hissed. "Don't you think it's strange the way she's just vanished? I think we can safely say she wasn't forced to leave this house against her will. She went wherever she is willingly, and I say we leave her there."

"You're forgetting Molly, she has no idea who she is," Dumbledore said softly. "Nor does anyone else know who she is. If she is with the dark then she's not safe, is anything she would be in serious danger. She may have been born as Voldemort's daughter, but as far as everyone is concerned, that girl is dead. Hermione is an innocent, and we owe it to her to find her and save her."

With a piercing glare at Molly, Dumbledore turned and stalked away from the red-headed witch, leaving her in doubt as to where he stood. Dumbledore was determined to find Hermione and get her back to the Order, and for the time being, Molly had no choice but to go along with his wishes. However, she did know that even if Dumbledore did succeed in getting Hermione back, she and Sirius weren't going to stand for having her back in their lives. She was The Dark Lord's daughter and a danger to their safety, and they weren't going to stand back and let her ruin the lives of people they loved. In their eyes she was every bit as dangerous as her father, and as such needed dealing with in the same brutal way.


	4. Chapter 4

Once Hermione was confirmed as being The Dark Lord's daughter, Hope, Lucius offered to show her to one of the guest suites at the manor as she adjusted to the news that she wasn't who she'd always thought she was. Even though Hermione had accepted she was Voldemort's daughter from the minute she'd heard Sirius and Molly talking, it was still a major thing to have it confirmed and she appreciated the offer of some time alone so she could get hold of her thoughts and feelings. Lucius also kindly promised to speak to Voldemort personally and explain the situation, and both he and Severus assured her that she wouldn't have to deal with anyone until she was ready to do so.

"If you need anything, just call for Misty," Lucius informed her as he showed her into a guest suite.

"A house elf?" Hermione asked with a frown. It had only been recently that she'd learnt about House Elves and the sort of lives they lead, and she didn't agree with helpless creatures being forced to serve the wizarding community.

"Yes, she's one of our house elves," Lucius replied with a puzzled nod. "Is that a problem?"

"I don't agree with House Elves being kept as slaves," Hermione answered. "Especially if they're treated badly, as I believe your former elf Dobby was."

"Dobby was an exception," Lucius replied quietly, trying not to show his annoyance at the mention of his former elf, who'd always been a troublesome little thing. "Misty is my wife's personal House Elf, and I can assure you Narcissa treats her like part of the family. Call for her and speak to her yourself, and you'll see she's perfectly happy."

"I'll take your word for it," Hermione said with a sigh. To be honest she had more important things on her mind than House Elves and how the Malfoys treated theirs.

"As I said, Misty is at your service if you need anything. I'll also get some fresh clothes and some toiletries sorted out for you. We can talk about any long term needs once we know exactly what will be happening."

"You mean once we know if You-Know-Who is going to accept me?" Hermione snorted.

"Why wouldn't he accept you?" Lucius asked. "You're his daughter."

"A daughter he's believed dead for over a decade," Hermione argued. "No doubt he's mourned for me and moved on. Maybe he won't want me back in his life, and I'll be left all alone with no-one to turn to."

"That won't happen," Lucius said confidently. "No doubt he'll be shocked when he finds out the truth, but he will never abandon you, Hope. He's your father and he loves you. But even if the worst did happen, you wouldn't be alone. Severus will look out for you, as will I."

"Why?" Hermione asked, scrutinising the older wizard, who'd surprisingly been nothing but kind to her all day.

"You're the daughter of The Dark Lord, and had things been different you would have known me and my family your entire life," Lucius replied. "You were meant to grow up surrounded by people who loved and would do anything for you, but the Order stole that away from you. I just want you to know that whatever happens, you're not alone any more."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered. "And what about him? When will I have to meet him?"

"Not until you're ready," Lucius assured her. "And don't worry, he'll understand. You're in charge, Hope. We do things as whatever speed you're comfortable with. You will be a part of every decision that is made, and you won't be forced into doing anything you don't want to to, or aren't ready to do."

"I appreciate that," Hermione said with a relived sigh, feeling some of the pressure lift from her shoulders slightly.

"I'll send one of the elves to see if you want to join us at dinner time," Lucius said as he made his way towards the door. "But don't worry if you're not ready, we can have dinner sent to you. Don't worry Hope, you're safe now."

As ironic as it was, Hermione believed Lucius and she did in fact feel safe as he departed the sumptuous guest suite and left her in peace. For the first time since she'd overheard Molly and Sirius talking she felt safe and she wasn't worried about what could happen to her. Although it was rather funny that she felt safe in the custody of the Malfoys of all people. A few days ago she could have thought of nothing worse than being at Malfoy Manor, but now it felt like a haven and she knew that she was in the right place for her own safety.

Not to mention she was in the right place to get to the truth about her life, as there was still so much more Hermione needed to know. Knowing she was Voldemort's daughter wasn't enough for Hermione. She wanted to know about her mother, about what her life would have been like if she hadn't been taken from her parents, and more importantly how she'd ended up been stolen in the first place. She had so many questions, and she knew that she would only be satisfied when she had all the answers and knew everything there was to know about her past.

Knowing that answers weren't going to come straight away, Hermione took some time to explore the bedroom which was far larger than any she'd ever stayed in before. Aside from the large four poster bed draped in deep purple sheets, the room contained drawers and a wardrobe for the clothes she no longer had. There was also a dressing table with an attached vanity mirror and a writing desk below the large window. Then there was a fire in the corner of the room, with a plush chair situated beside a large shelf full of books. Then there was was an en-suite bathroom, decorated in soothing shades of blue and green.

Settling into the comfy chair beside the fire, Hermione intended to explore the bookshelf, but her mind couldn't settle on the titles and she found herself wondering what was happening back with the Order and if she'd done the right thing in leaving the way she had. Hermione was sure she'd done the right thing in getting as far away as she could from Molly and Sirius, but she did wonder if there hadn't been another way to go about things. The trouble was, after what she'd heard, she had no idea who she could trust.

It had been clear that Molly and Sirius had both been part of her kidnapping as a child, but it was equally clear that other people had known about it both at the time and since her re-emergence into the wizarding world. The truth was, Hermione had no way of knowing which members of the Order knew who she truly was, or what they really thought about it. She could have tried talking to someone, only to find herself in yet more danger depending on how they reacted to what she had to say. In the end, she'd made the right choice in leaving as quickly and as quietly as she could manage.

Hermione's real regrets in leaving the way she'd done so was that it had denied her a chance to find out what her friends thought of her situation. She knew Harry hated Voldemort with a passion, which was understandable considering her father had killed his parents, but she wasn't sure if that hatred would have extended to her. Would he have turned on her the second he discovered who she was, or would he have been the good friend she'd always hoped he was and supported her and agreed that it had been the Order that was in the wrong in taking her in the first place. Either way, Hermione wasn't sure if she would ever find out what Harry truly thought of who she was, and who her father was, as she didn't even know when, or even if, she would ever see him again.

As for Ron, she was fairly sure she could predict his reaction, and it wouldn't have been good. One of the reasons Hermione hadn't confided in Ron, despite the fact he was at Grimmauld Place with her unlike Harry who hadn't yet joined them, was because she didn't expect him to support her. She'd witnessed his dislike of anyone associated with the dark, so she could only imagine how he would react to the daughter of The Dark Lord himself. Ron would have disowned her there and then, and likely exposed her to everyone and supported his mother and Sirius's plan. It would have been the end of their friendship, Hermione had known that, so instead she'd chosen to leave without telling him the truth so that she would always have good memories of him and the friendship they'd shared for four years.

Turning her attention to what her life would now be like, and if she was ready to face life as the daughter of The Dark Lord, Hermione remained curled up on the comfortable chair as she let herself finally process everything that was happening to her. Her entire life was changing, and like it or not, Hermione had to be ready for the changes. Nothing was ever going to be the same again – not now she knew that her entire life had been a lie, and worse still it had been the people she'd trusted who'd lied to her. Now she had to figure out who she could really trust, and she just hoped that she would find some people she could rely on as she adjusted to her new life as Hope Riddle.

* * *

Hermione wasn't the only one grappling with the thought of what life would now be like now the truth about who she was had been revealed, and back in Lucius's study, he and Severus were sharing a stiff drink and digesting the days events. Both of them were still slightly stunned by everything that had happened, and even though they'd been calm and collected in front of Hermione, they were both still reeling from the revelations. Severus especially was stunned, as not only had he found out for the first time that Voldemort had a daughter, but he'd then discovered the identity of the daughter.

"This was a day I wasn't expecting," Lucius remarked, finally breaking the silence in the room.

"Tell me about it," Severus snorted. "When Hermione approached me and said she needed to talk to me, this was the last thing I expected."

"It was the last thing anyone expected," Lucius agreed. "Least of all The Dark Lord. He's going to be blown away when we speak to him."

"But will he be accepting of her?" Severus checked. He'd never known Voldemort as a father, so he had no idea of the dark wizard had a paternal side, or if too much had happened since he'd first lost Hermione and he would be unable to connect with his long lost daughter.

"He will," Lucius confirmed with a thoughtful nod of his head. "I'm not sure things will always be easy between himself and Hope, but I do know that he won't abandon her. Like it or not, she's his daughter and he won't lose her a second time."

"When are you going to talk to him?" Severus asked.

"I think tonight is the best option," Lucius replied. "Even if she's not ready to see him tonight, he deserves to know his daughter is alive as soon as possible."

"We're also going to have to discuss my position with the Order," Severus said.

"Why?" Lucius asked with a frown, his mind still lingering on the best way to inform Voldemort that his dead daughter wasn't dead after all, and was currently staying in one of his guest suites.

"We brought Hermione here for her safety," Severus began. "We know the Order will eventually trace her to the manor, and when they do, it'll be easy enough for them to work out how she got here. Besides, I'm not sure I'm being much use where I am. I've been around Dumbledore for years, and not once has he ever revealed that Hermione was The Dark Lord's daughter. He clearly doesn't trust me as much as we thought."

"And if he hasn't confided in you about Hope, what else has he cut you out of?" Lucius finished, understanding where his friend was coming from.

"Exactly," Severus said with a nod. "If The Dark Lord is agreeable, I think my time with the Order is over."

"That will also mean losing your job at Hogwarts," Lucius said with a frown.

"It will," Severus agreed with a slightly regretful sigh. Even though he would have loved to have been teaching Defence, he did have a passion for Potions and he would miss certain aspects of his life at Hogwarts.

"In that case, we might also have to discuss Draco's future," Lucius said. "Once the Order know where Hope is, they might target Draco once he's back at school. Especially if you're not there to offer him your protection."

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, Lucius," Severus advised. "We've got all summer to make some decisions. But I think right now, it's time to fill The Dark Lord in on today's events. I think it's time he found out that his daughter is alive and well."

Nodding his head in agreement, Lucius pulled up his shirt sleeve and removing his wand from his cane, he pressed it against his Dark Mark. The action had sent a message to The Dark Lord, and Lucius knew he would arrive at the manor when he was ready. All he and Severus could now do was wait and try and work out what they were going to say when Voldemort arrived and they had to tell him that everything he'd ever thought about his daughter and her death was a lie. Hope hadn't died in hospital, instead she'd been kidnapped and now she was alive and well and preparing to meet the dark wizard she'd only just learned was her father.


	5. Chapter 5

Witnessing Voldemort learn that his daughter wasn't dead after all, and had instead been stolen from him as a baby, was extremely emotional for Severus and something he was never likely to forget. In all his years of serving Voldemort, he'd never seen the man underneath the darkness, but his human side was very much on display as his entire world was shaken to the core. Watching him digest the news about his daughter, Severus was left in no doubt that despite what Dumbledore claimed, Voldemort did know how to love and he did have a heart.

Just witnessing the emotion on Voldemort's face made Severus think about how different things might have been if he hadn't lost Hermione. Fatherhood might have changed him, and who knew how he might have changed if he'd had the chance to be a real father to his daughter. Maybe having Hermione in his life would have calmed him down, and while Severus knew it never would have erased his darkness, it might have made him less rash and prone to rushing in without thinking. Maybe if he hadn't lost his daughter he wouldn't have been in such a rush to get to the Potters. Maybe he wouldn't have rushed in the way he'd done, and maybe Lily would still have been alive.

The thought of Lily, caused Severus to briefly shut his eyes and take a moment to deal with his own pain. Losing Lily had shattered his entire world, even though he'd been forced to accept that he would never have had her the way he desired. She hadn't loved him the way he loved her, but just knowing she happy and alive had brightened Severus's heart. Then she'd been killed, and now he was wondering if it all could have been prevented. Not that it mattered now as the past couldn't be changed, and right now his focus was on helping deal with the fallout of the days revelations.

From the second Hermione had revealed the truth, he'd felt compelled to protect her, and even now, she was still his top priority. Any worries he'd had about Voldemort not accepting her had been dashed as it was clear the dark wizard wanted nothing more than to be reunited with his daughter. Still, Severus was wary of Hermione being pushed into something she wasn't ready for, but fortunately Voldemort was more than happy to agree to let his daughter set the pace for their meeting. The dark wizard seemed to understand that as shocking as events were for him, it was even more of a shock for Hermione and she would need longer to come to terms with what was happening.

"Are you sure she's safe, Lucius?" Voldemort asked for the third time, jolting Severus from his thoughts.

"No-one can get to her at the manor, My Lord," Lucius assured the dark wizard.

"But the Order will eventually work out where she is," Severus pointed out.

"If they haven't already," Lucius said.

"They can't have done so this quickly," Severus answered with a shake of his head. "They'll know she's gone by now, but it'll take time to locate her."

"All Dumbledore would have to do is go to the Ministry and ask about her under-age magic trace," Lucius pointed out. "With his connections, he could have all the answers by this evening."

"Then we use our connections to slow him down," Voldemort announced. "Lucius, get in touch with the Ministry and do what you can to slow down the process if he does get in touch asking to use Hope's trace to find her."

"Will do," Lucius said with a nod as he rose to his feet and departed the room.

"What do I do?" Severus asked. "Even if the Order don't know where Hermione is right now, they'll know where she is soon enough. And once they know she's at the manor, it won't take a genius to work out who helped her get here."

"It looks like your time with the Order is coming to an end, Severus," Voldemort said with a thoughtful nod. "How do you feel about that?" he asked, his piercing red eyes scrutinising the younger wizard as he gently entered his mind to make sure he was telling him the truth.

"I'm more than happy to leave them behind," Severus replied honestly. Truth be told up until that day his allegiance to either side had been interchangeable and he'd always figured he would make a final choice on where he stood towards the end of the war, but the situation with Hermione had made his mind up for him and now he would openly pledge his loyalty to The Dark Lord.

"Well, let's make sure you do so with a bang," Voldemort said, satisfied that Severus could be trusted. "Lucius may be holding things up with locating Hope, but as you say, they will find out where she is sooner or later."

"And what then?" Severus asked. "They might bring the Ministry into things. Dumbledore could accuse Lucius of kidnapping her."

"And we refute that by having Hope declare she's where she wants to be," Voldemort said. "If of course, this is where she wants to be," he added quietly.

"It is," Severus reassured him. "But you need to give her time, My Lord. This has come as a major shock to her. Not only discovering you're her father, but finding out she was kidnapped as a child, and then having people she trusted plotting to kill her."

"Which reminds me, Molly Weasley and Sirius Black have to go," Voldemort snarled. "I want everyone to pay for what they did to my daughter, but those two will die for even thinking about trying to kill her."

"Do you have a plan?" Severus asked.

"Even I can't plan this fast, Severus," Voldemort replied with a low chuckle. "I only arrived at the manor an hour ago. I'm still reeling from the fact my daughter is alive, and now I have to decide on a plan of action."

"We've at least got some time now," Lucius announced, after entering the room towards the end of Voldemort's reply. "I've spoken to my man at the Ministry. Dumbledore was actually there at the same time as I was, but I ensured he didn't see me. My man assured me that even without interference it would be morning before they could get an accurate trace on Hope's magic, but with his interference Dumbledore won't get any results before mid-afternoon."

"That's time enough for us to gather our thoughts," Voldemort said. "Thank you, Lucius."

"Are we going to make Hermione's identity public knowledge?" Severus asked.

"I said we wouldn't make any decisions like that without talking to her," Lucius interjected. "We have to remember that this is her life we're discussing here."

"I do think in these circumstances, the truth is our friend and it will be better for us to be upfront and honest. After all, it's the Order who have been lying and deceiving people," Voldemort said. "However, I will respect my daughter's wishes, and we will do nothing until she's had her say."

"She'll appreciate your thoughtfulness," Severus said. "But I can't imagine she'll be ready to talk this evening. So what do we do tonight? What do I do about the Order?"

"Do you fear for your safety if you were to go back to them?" Voldemort asked.

"No, I'd be confident of getting away from them if things got sticky," Severus replied.

"In that case, keep up your cover for the moment," Voldemort decided. "Deny any knowledge of taking Hope, and if it comes up deny any knowledge of who she is. Once they know where she is, I think you should tell them everything. Let them know that you helped her escape and that you're going to do everything in your power to make sure they pay for what they've done to my daughter."

"That should ruffle a few feathers," Severus chuckled.

"I intend to do more than ruffle some feathers," Voldemort warned in a low voice. "When I get going the Order won't know what's hit them. But for now, my daughter is my priority. Lucius, would it be possible to see if she's ready to talk?"

"I can go and ask her," Lucius said, yet again getting to his feet.

"Make sure she knows she's not under any pressure to see me tonight," Voldemort said, sounding slightly reluctant to make the offer since he was dying to see his daughter and find out what she'd turned out like. "I'll wait as long as I have to in order to see her."

Promising to be back as soon as he could, Lucius departed the room, leaving Voldemort and Severus in contemplative silence. Severus could tell that The Dark Lord's mind was on his daughter, no doubt wondering what she was like, and he didn't wish to intrude on the dark wizard's thoughts. Instead Severus lost himself in his own thoughts as he wondered just how Voldemort and Hermione would get along. He had no doubt that there would be some conflict between them, but he really hoped that they could learn to get along as he was a sucker for a happy ending.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was really just over twenty minutes, Lucius returned to the study by himself. With a rueful shake of his head, he informed Voldemort that while Hermione was pleased that her father now knew she wasn't dead, she wasn't quite ready to meet him. Although on a brighter note, she had promised to meet him the following morning, after she'd had a good night's sleep.

"In that case, I think it's time I went home," Voldemort said, unable to hide his disappointment that he hadn't seen Hermione. "Give my daughter my love, Lucius. And please look after her."

"She'll be treated like part of the family," Lucius assured the dark wizard as he said his goodbyes and departed the manor.

"I guess I should be leaving as well," Severus said. "Would you mind if I went and checked on Hermione before I left?"

"Be my guest," Lucius said, informing his friend where to find the young witch. "She also rejected my offer of coming down to dinner, but if you can get her to change her mind, you're welcome to join us, Severus."

"I'll try, but I suspect she just wants to be alone."

"I can understand that," Lucius conceded with a nod. "The poor girl's had her entire life turned on it's head, it's miracle she hasn't broken down completely."

"She's a strong girl," Severus replied.

"She's going to need to be," Lucius retorted with a sigh, thinking of the trials that would undoubtedly lie ahead for the young witch currently residing in his guest suite. It certainly wasn't going to be easy for her as the long lost daughter of The Dark Lord.

Leaving Lucius to bring his family up to date with what was happening, and who was staying in their house, Severus made his way to the guest bedroom Lucius had directed him to. When he knocked on the door, he also identified himself, so Hermione knew who was bothering her.

"Hello Professor," Hermione greeted as she opened the door.

"I think after all that's happened, you can call me Severus," Severus said with a small smile. "How are you doing?"

"I feel numb," Hermione admitted as she walked over to the bed and perched on the end of it. "I know this is all real and it's all happening to me, but it sort of feels like a dream. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up back with the Order and find that none of this is real."

"It's very real," Severus said, warily perching beside Hermione on the bed. "And I just want you to know that if you need anything, all you have to do is call and I'll be here."

"Can you be here tomorrow when I meet Vol… my fath... him?" Hermione asked in a whisper, stumbling over what to call The Dark Lord.

"I'll be here," Severus promised. "As will Lucius. You can trust him as well, Hermione."

"I know," she replied with a nod. "I can't believe I would ever say this, but I feel safe here. I feel safe with the Malfoys."

"You are safe," Severus assured her. "Lucius said you refused his offer to join them for dinner, do you want to reconsider? I can also stay if you want?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but I would rather stay here," Hermione admitted. "Once I've eaten, I was planning on having an early night. My head is killing me, and I've got a big day ahead of me tomorrow."

"In that case, I'll say goodnight and be leaving you," Severus replied, getting to his feet.

"Thank you for everything," Hermione said as she escorted the Potions Professor to her bedroom door. "I don't know what I would have done without you. You saved my life."

"I'm sure I did nothing of the sort," Severus mumbled with a blush. "You would have found a way to save yourself."

"Maybe I could have gotten away from the Order, but I'm not sure I would have been safe. Nor would I have been in any position to get answers. But because of you, I can get some answers. We will find out what happened to me, won't we?"

"You can count on it," Severus replied with a low chuckle. "Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Severus," Hermione whispered as she closed the door behind him.

After quickly informing Lucius that neither he nor Hermione would be joining them for dinner, Severus flooed back to his cottage. No sooner had he alighted the floo then it began to chime and alerted him to the fact someone had been trying to reach him for some time. Figuring that whoever it was would try again, Severus headed into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. Before he'd even finished pouring his tea, he heard the floo activate again, followed by Dumbledore's voice calling his name.

"In the kitchen," Severus called, plucking a second cup out of the cupboard for Dumbledore and pouring the headmaster a cup of tea.

"Ah Severus, it's good to see you," Dumbledore said as he entered the room. "We've been trying to get in touch for hours."

"I went out to get some new Potions supplies," Severus lied. "I didn't think I would be needed again so soon. I was just at Headquarters today."

"Which is why we need to talk," Dumbledore said, gratefully accepting the cup of tea Severus offered him. "Hermione is missing."

"Missing?" Severus repeated with a frown. "What do you mean, missing?"

"We can't find her," Dumbledore explained. "The last time she was seen was just before the Order meeting. I used a spell to trace her movement and she vanished from the front step."

"People don't just vanish, Albus," Severus said. "For her trail to just vanish she had to have apparated, or possibly used a port key."

"We never considered a port key," Dumbledore mused with a thoughtful frown. Apparition had been the first thing to enter their minds, but a port key would also explain the trail ending so abruptly. "Although where she would get a port key from is a mystery."

"Indeed," Severus agreed with a nod. "So what do you want me to do? Do you want me to help with the search?"

"I've contacted the Ministry, and they've agreed to activate her under-age magic trace," Dumbledore said. "We should have her location by the morning. I really came to ask if you'd seen Hermione today."

"You mean did I take her from Order headquarters," Severus corrected sharply, giving the headmaster a piercing glare.

"We're asking everyone who was at headquarters today," Dumbledore soothed. "No-one is accusing you of anything, Severus."

"No, I did not see Hermione today," Severus lied. "Nor did I take her from headquarters. But if I can be of any assistance in finding her, I would like to help."

"There's nothing we can do tonight, Severus," Dumbledore admitted with a sigh as he sipped at his tea. "I'll be in touch tomorrow once we know where Hermione is. Maybe then we can work out what happened and where she vanished to."

Severus nodded, all the time keeping a concerned look on his face. Of course he knew it would be afternoon before Dumbledore and the Order found out where Hermione was, and hopefully by that time Hermione would have met her father and a plan of action would have been decided upon.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Sorry for the late update, but as I'm sure many of you know the site has been down, and then patchy ever since. But here's the next update, and hopefully be next week things will be fixed and I can publish as normal.**

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Caught up in his own life, Draco Malfoy was completely oblivious to what was going on under the roof at the manor. He had no idea Severus had been at the manor for hours, nor was he aware that Voldemort himself had been at the house for a visit, and he certainly wasn't aware that there was a surprise guest staying in one of the guest suites. In fact the first time he realised something was going on was when he joined his parents for dinner and Lucius explained that they had a house guest for the foreseeable future.

"What sort of house guest?" Draco questioned, wondering if The Dark Lord himself would be staying with them. He knew that the dark wizard was back and not just a shadowy presence any longer, despite the authorities trying to deny such a thing.

"A young witch," Lucius answered.

"That's all you're telling me?" Draco asked with a snort, unimpressed with the lack of information his father was giving him. He may only have been fifteen, but he wasn't stupid and he thought his father knew him well enough to know he could be trusted.

"She is the daughter of The Dark Lord," Lucius added.

Lost for words, Draco could merely stared at his father in surprise. Over the years his father had told him numerous things about The Dark Lord, all on the quiet of course since they'd been pretending to have left their dark ways behind them, but never had he mentioned the dark wizard having a family. Nor had he ever heard any other whisper from other sources of Voldemort having a family.

"I wasn't aware he had a daughter," Draco finally managed.

"It wasn't common knowledge," Lucius replied. "Or at least we thought it wasn't," he added with a scowl.

"What aren't you telling me?" Draco asked, eager to find out just what was going on.

"It's only fair he knows what's going on, Lucius," Narcissa Malfoy said to her husband. "This is his home. Besides, the whole truth could well be coming out soon anyway."

"Fine, but you are not to breath a word of this to another soul, Draco," Lucius warned, fixing his son with his sternest gaze. "Your mother is right, and the entire story might very likely become public knowledge before long, but I will not have you gossiping about The Dark Lord's life with your friends. This is deeply personal, and I expect you to respect The Dark Lord's privacy."

"I won't speak to anyone about this," Draco promised.

Lucius considered his son for a moment before nodding his head. "Years ago, The Dark Lord had a family. A wife and a baby daughter. His daughter was taken ill, and died in hospital. Or so we all thought until yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?" Draco asked.

"A witch went to Severus for help," Lucius replied. "She'd discovered that she was The Dark Lord's daughter, and that she was in danger where she was. Of course, we spent hours confirming her identity, but she was telling the truth. She is The Dark Lord's daughter, and she didn't die as we thought. She was kidnapped and hidden away from her father."

"That's awful," Draco gasped. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Who hates The Dark Lord enough to steal his only child?" Lucius retorted with a snort.

"Dumbledore," Draco gasped, the headmaster coming to his mind straight away as he was the person Draco trusted the least in the entire world. Most people thought the headmaster of Hogwarts was a good man, but Draco had always thought that there was a dark underbelly to the old man.

"Precisely," Lucius nodded, proud of how quickly his son had caught on.

"So what is this witches name?"

Lucius hesitated slightly before informing Draco that the daughter of The Dark Lord was called Hope. The hesitation may have only been slight, but Draco had noticed it and it was enough to tell him that there was more his father wasn't telling him. Although he knew better than to push the matter, and despite still having several questions on the matter, he didn't voice them when his parents changed the subject.

He didn't find out anything more about Voldemort's daughter over the rest of the meal, but his curiosity wasn't sated so on his way back to his own wing of the manor, he made a detour to where the guest suites were located. Not that he could tell which guest suite was in use, as all the doors were closed and even hovering in the corridor, he could hear no movement from any of the rooms. With a defeated sigh, he headed back to his own room for the night, determined that he would manage to get a look at Voldemort's daughter and hopefully find out just what his father hadn't told him.

Draco was still as determined as ever to find out everything he could about Hope when he rose early the following morning. After grabbing a quick shower and quickly getting dressed, he once again took a detour to the part of the manor where guests stayed. As with the previous night, all the doors were tightly shut, but this time he could hear movement behind the door to the largest and most luxurious guest suite.

For a long time Draco debated knocking on the door and introducing himself, but the last thing he wanted was to be rude. He especially didn't want to annoy the witch due to the fact she was Voldemort's daughter and the last thing he wanted to do was get on the wrong side of the dark wizard he hadn't even met yet. So even though he was still curious about the witch staying with them, and would have loved to have caught a glimpse of her, he reluctantly turned to head downstairs to grab some breakfast.

However, just as he turned away from the door, he heard it swing open behind him. Whirling back around, he put a welcoming smile on his lips and prepared to say hello to The Dark Lord's daughter. However, the smile froze on his lips and the words of greeting stuck in his throat when he found himself face to face with Hermione Granger.

The muggleborn witch didn't seem the slightest bit surprised to see him, and she rolled her eyes at his frozen form as she turned and walked back into the bedroom, leaving the door wide open behind her. Not sure if he should follow or not, Draco made his way to the threshold of the room and continued to stare at Hermione, hardly able to believe his eyes. He wasn't stupid enough to ask what she was doing her, as the answer was obvious, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't totally blown away that the muggleborn witch who had been a thorn in his side over the first four years at Hogwarts was really the secret daughter of The Dark Lord.

"Are you going to say something, or just stare?" Hermione asked with a sigh, as she turned back around to face the blond wizard. "I figured you wanted something the way you were lurking around."

"I wasn't lurking," Draco replied, finding his voice. "You can't lurk in your own home. I was merely passing."

"You were lurking," Hermione stated. "What were you doing? Hoping for a look at The Dark Lord's daughter? Well here I am, Malfoy, have a good look."

Hermione blatantly stared at Draco, quietly challenging him to make the next move. Refusing to be intimated in his own home, Draco stared back, trying to see if he could see anything different about the witch in front of him now he knew who she truly was. To be honest he'd only ever paid attention to Hermione because she'd beaten him in every lesson and it had rankled that a muggleborn had a better grasp on magic than he had. Although now he knew she wasn't a muggleborn it helped ease his pride that she was smarter than him.

"What are you smirking at?" Hermione demanded, spotting the infuriating smug smirk slowly creep over Draco's lips.

"Nothing much," Draco replied. "It's just good to know that a muggleborn hasn't been beating me at school for all these years."

"And it's better that I'm not?" Hermione scoffed. "I may not be a muggleborn, but I was still raised with muggles, and until the summer before first year, I had no idea I had magic. You've known you were a wizard your entire life, yet you've still been outperformed by someone who has only been doing magic since they were eleven. I wouldn't look too smug if I were you, Malfoy. It's hardly something to be proud of, is it?"

"It's not about how long you've been practising magic," Draco replied defensively, determined to argue back even though deep down he knew Hermione was right and her blood status really didn't change the fact she was smarter and better at magic than he was. "It's about the magic that flows in your blood, and with The Dark Lord as your father, you've got strong magic in your veins."

"And maybe that was why I was stolen as a baby," Hermione whispered and for the first time Draco could see the pain in her deep brown eyes. There was no doubt that the witch standing in front of him was hurting, and he felt compelled to offer her some comfort.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he offered gently.

"It's not you," Hermione said with a sigh as she slumped down on the edge of the bed. "It's everything. Two days ago my life was normal. Now I'm the daughter of a dark wizard, staying with a family I don't even know."

"Are you saying you've only just discovered who you are?" Draco asked with a frown, coming further into the room.

"Yes," Hermione replied in a low voice. "Would you believe I was just curled up with a book, minding my own business, and I overheard a conversation that not only informed me who I was, but warned me I was in danger."

"Whoa," Draco muttered, hesitantly dropping onto the bed but making sure to keep a decent distance away from Hermione. "It must have been like your whole life exploded before your eyes."

"I think that's a pretty accurate description," Hermione said. "To be honest, I'm still trying to get my head around it all. But now I have to meet Voldemort, and no doubt some decisions will have to be made about the future."

"You don't want to meet your father?" Draco asked.

"Yes, and no," Hermione replied with a slight shrug. "Part of me wants nothing more than to meet him and find out who I really am, but there's another part of me that's terrified. Because he's not just a normal wizard, is he? He's a dark wizard and until two days ago, I thought he was the biggest threat to my future."

"The Hermione Granger I've gone to school with for four years, is no coward," Draco offered. "She might be scared, but she won't let the fear win. She'll face her fears and do what is best for her."

With a small smile, Hermione tilted her head to look at Draco. "Did you just pay me a compliment?"

"Don't get used to it, I don't do it a lot," Draco retorted with a slight smirk. "But if you want, I will be your friend."

"What? Because I'm not a muggleborn?" Hermione snorted. "Because I'm no longer tainted? Because I'm the daughter of The Dark Lord and might be useful to you?"

"No, because you're staying in my house and your whole life has just been turned on it's head," Draco shot back as he rose to his feet, colour staining his cheeks at Hermione's rebuff. He'd only been trying to be nice, something he didn't do a lot, and he was annoyed that the gesture had been thrown back in his face. "But clearly you don't want friends, so I'll be leaving you to it," he huffed, stalking towards the bedroom door.

"Malfoy wait," Hermione called, stopping the blond as he was about to exit the room. "I was rude, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Draco replied with a shrug, glancing over his shoulder at Hermione. "I got the message."

"I overreacted," Hermione admitted in a small voice. "Even though we both know you wouldn't have made the offer to be my friend if I wasn't who I am, it was rude of me to snap at you the way I did. Everything in my life has changed, and I need to start accepting it. And you're right, I could do with a friend. So if that offer's still open, I'd like to accept it."

"It's still open," Draco said, offering Hermione a small smile. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy forgetting the past, but I think given the circumstances we should make a fresh start." Taking a step forward he held his hand out to Hermione. "Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy."

Smiling at the gesture, Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and shook it. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. Or possibly Hope," she added with a frown. "Bloody hell, what do I call myself?"

"What are you more comfortable with?" Draco asked.

"Hermione," Hermione admitted. "It's who I've always been."

"Then stick with Hermione," Draco advised.

"Thank you, Malfoy," Hermione whispered.

"Draco," Draco corrected. "My friends call me Draco."

"Thank you, Draco," Hermione said.

"Any time," Draco replied. "I was on my way to breakfast, would you like to join me?"

"Yes, I think eating something before I meet my father would be good," Hermione replied.

"Come on then, I'll show you were the dining room is," Draco offered, leading the way from the bedroom.

Together the two teenagers went down to breakfast, before Hermione would then meet her father for the first time and make some decisions would affect the course of not just her life, but that of several other people as well, including Draco.


	7. Chapter 7

Even though he was aware that Dumbledore might be wanting to contact him at some point during the day, Severus was putting his promise to Hermione first, and that meant being at the manor when she met Voldemort for the first time. Connecting his floo connection to his wand, so he would be aware if anyone tried to contact his cottage, Severus left for the manor. When he arrived at the manor, he found Lucius had already contacted The Dark Lord and Hermione was already settled in the front room, awaiting the meeting with her father.

"How are you doing this morning?" Severus asked as he greeted a clearly nervous Hermione.

"I'm coping," Hermione answered. "Do you think he'll mind that I want to stick with the name Hermione? I understand that to him, I'm Hope, but I've been Hermione my entire life and I don't think I want to change my name. Anyway, Draco said I should stick to what I'm comfortable with," she added at breakneck speed, rushing through what she wanted to say because of her nerves.

"You've spoken to Draco?" Severus asked, starting with the last thing Hermione had mentioned.

"He introduced himself this morning," Hermione answered. "He offered to be my friend."

"I hope you took him up on the offer. You're going to need friends, and they don't come much more loyal than Draco. I know he appears and cold and uncaring, but he's got a big heart and when he embraces someone, he'll do anything for them."

"I almost messed it up, but I did accept his offer and we've agreed to start over," Hermione confessed.

"That's good," Severus said with a nod. "And as for your name, I can't see any reason why The Dark Lord will insist on you changing it. Although be warned, he's likely to still call you Hope. After all, it's who you are to him."

"I don't mind if he wants to call me Hope," Hermione said. In fact it was what she expected, and she hoped that hearing him using her birth name would help her bond with a wizard she wasn't even sure if she could trust.

Although it wasn't long before Hermione would find out if she could trust Voldemort, as Lucius entered the room and announced that The Dark Lord had arrived. Not sure what to expect, Hermione rose to her feet to meet the wizard that had fathered her. What she was confronted with was a tall, pale wizard with glaring red eyes and very short dark hair. He wasn't quite the monster Harry had described only a few months previously, but there was still something slightly inhuman about him. There was certainly a dark aura surrounding him, although that shattered when she looked into his eyes and found them swimming with tears.

"Hope," he whispered in a hoarse voice, warily raising his hand towards Hermione.

Hermione wasn't sure what to call the wizard in front of her, but she followed her instincts when it came to reacting to their reunion. Stepping forward she gave Voldemort a subtle nod of her head and before she knew it, she was engulfed in his arms. Voldemort clung onto her tightly, but Hermione didn't feel afraid as all the time he was whispering how much he loved her and she could feel his body shaking with emotion. It was clear that even though the meeting was overwhelming for her, it was so much more potent for Voldemort. She was only just discovering the truth, whereas he was meeting the daughter he'd thought was dead and had mourned for.

"I still can't believe it's you," Voldemort whispered, finally pulling away from Hermione long enough to look at the young witch in his arms.

"I'm not sure I quite believe it myself," Hermione replied.

"Of course, this must be quite the shock for you," Voldemort said solicitously, letting go of Hermione. "Let's sit down."

Hermione found herself settled on the largest sofa in the room with Voldemort warily perching beside her. Both Lucius and Severus waited for a small nod from Voldemort before also taking a seat, Severus on the smaller sofa and Lucius in an armchair beside the fire. Hermione could already tell that neither wizard planned on interfering with the meeting, but just having them present, Severus especially, helped make her feel safe.

"I just want to start by saying that I don't expect you to love me, or even like me, straight away," Voldemort began. "I won't lie to you and tell you the stories you've heard about me are false, because they're not. I am what is usually regarded as a dark wizard and I have done some dark things in the past, and will do more in the future. However, there is another side of me. A side I hope you want to get to know."

"Since you're being honest with me, I would like to do the same," Hermione said bravely, looking Voldemort in the eye even though she wasn't sure how he was going to react to what she had to say. "I don't really think I want to be your daughter, and under other circumstances, I don't even think I would be here. But my life was in danger with the Order, and Severus promised me that you would protect me."

"And I will," Voldemort vowed, hiding his pain at Hermione's declaration that she didn't want to be his daughter. "I'm just sorry I couldn't manage it when you were a baby. I should have known Dumbledore would have tried something."

"Did you know Dumbledore knew I existed?" Hermione asked.

"No," Voldemort admitted.

"Then there was nothing you could have done," Hermione stated. "I'm sure we both want answers to what happened to me in the past, but I don't need apologies for something you couldn't prevent."

"What do you need?" Voldemort questioned.

"I need you to keep me safe," Hermione replied. "And even though I said I didn't want to be your daughter, I'm well aware that I am your daughter, and I want you to know that I accept it. I can't predict how things are going to go between us, but I'm here and this is my life now, so I would like to get to know you."

"I'd like to get to know you too," Voldemort returned, a small smile tugging at the edges of his lips. "And we can take things as slowly as you want. I won't push you into doing anything you're not ready for."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered with a relieved sigh. Even though Lucius had promised her the same thing, it was a relief to hear it from Voldemort himself as she knew that ultimately Lucius would have had no choice but to do as he was ordered.

"I know when you arrived you had none of your things, and while I'm not sure if we're going to be able to get them for you, I'm happy to pay for you to have new clothes and new belongings," Voldemort said. "I am of course assuming you're going to be staying at the manor, but if you're not happy with that, we can make alternative arrangements."

"I think I'm happy to stay here. Besides, isn't this the safest place for me to be?" she checked, glancing over at Lucius.

"No-one can get to you while you're here," Lucius confirmed.

"In that case, I think it's best I stay here," Hermione declared. "If of course, I'm still welcome."

"You can stay as long as you like, Hope," Lucius said with a smile.

"Speaking of Hope. I don't mind if people call me that, but I don't plan on changing my name. I've been Hermione for nearly sixteen years, and that is who I am."

"No-one would ever force you to change your name," Voldemort said. "But I do appreciate you allowing me to call you Hope. I understand that you're attached to your other name, but to me you're still my little Hope."

"Did you name me, or did my mother?" Hermione asked. "And can you tell me about her?"

"I would love to tell you about your mother," Voldemort said with a sad smile. "But before we start getting personal, I think we need to talk business."

"Business?" Hermione frowned, not understanding what Voldemort meant.

"We need to make some decisions on what happens now," Voldemort explained. "The Order know you're missing and they're not going to sit back and do nothing about it. Dumbledore has already applied to the Ministry to have your under-age trace activated, and by this afternoon they'll know where you are."

"Can they come and take me back?" Hermione asked, nervously nibbling at her lower lip. "They could accuse the Malfoys of kidnapping me, and I don't want to get people into trouble."

"They could never make an accusation like that stick," Lucius snorted in derision. "Especially not when you tell the Ministry you're exactly where you want to be."

"Is that what you want me to do?" Hermione asked, turning to look at Voldemort.

"If you're happy with doing that," Voldemort replied with a nod. "In actual fact, as long as you're happy with it, I was going to have you tell the Ministry the truth."

"All of it?" Hermione checked. "About what I heard, and why I'm here?"

"Every last detail," Voldemort confirmed. "We can do it in such a way we don't have to acknowledge that I'm back. Since the Ministry are so keen on denying my presence, let's leave it that way and when I'm ready I'll make sure they know for sure that I'm back. But I thought that you, Severus and Lucius could explain everything else that has happened, and put the pressure back on the Order. But if you would rather do things some other way, we can."

"No, I like the idea of being truthful," Hermione said with a thoughtful nod. Apart from not acknowledging that Voldemort was back, it meant she didn't have to lie and deceive people and that was to her liking.

"That's settled then," Voldemort said. "When the Ministry come calling, which no doubt they will, you tell them the truth. Lucius, I want you to make sure that Hope is with either you, Severus or Narcissa the entire time she's in contact with the Ministry. I want my daughter safe."

"And what do you want me to do about the Order?" Severus asked. "I avoided Dumbledore's questions last night, but we all know they're going to know I played a part in delivering Hermione to you."

"As long as you're confident you'll be able to get away again, you can also tell them the truth," Voldemort said. "You can make it clear that they won't get their hands on Hope again. I will protect her with my life if necessary."

"But won't that mean you lose your job?" Hermione asked with a frown. "Dumbledore won't let you stay on at Hogwarts once he knows you helped me run away."

"I can get another job," Severus assured Hermione with a small smile. "Protecting you is more important."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered, touched by how much the Potions Professor had done for her over the last twenty-four hours.

"I was also thinking that while I was with the Order, I could try and grab some of your things," Severus said. "I can't promise anything though," he added quickly, not wanting to get Hermione's hopes up as until he arrived at Grimmauld Place he would have no idea what the situation was like.

"That would be appreciated, but all I really want is Crookshanks," Hermione said. She felt terrible that with all the drama, she'd forgotten about her precious ginger cat until she was lying in bed unable to sleep due to everything that was whirling around in her head. "He was catching mice when we left headquarters yesterday, and it never occurred to me to grab him."

"I'll do my best to grab him," Severus promised.

"Thank you," Hermione repeated, feeling as though she was doing nothing but thank people just lately.

"You're welcome," Severus returned.

"Do we want to discuss what happens after we've dealt with the Ministry?" Lucius asked. "Even once the truth comes out, there's no guarantee Dumbledore and his cronies will be held accountable for their crimes. You know what a slippery old sod the git is."

"Let's take one thing at a time," Voldemort said. "We can make some more decisions after we see how Dumbledore and the Order are going to proceed. But right now, I would like to get to know my daughter some more. If of course she wants to talk to me."

"I do," Hermione confirmed with an eager nod. "I have so many questions."

"Maybe it's time we should leave you two alone," Lucius volunteered as he and Severus rose to their feet at the same time, both of them on the same wavelength.

However, before either of them left the room they waited for Hermione to give them a nod to let them know that she was happy to be left alone with Voldemort. She was now confident that the dark wizard only had her best interests at heart and she was sure that if it all got too much for her and she needed a break, he would honour her wishes. But for now she wanted nothing more than to talk to the wizard who was her father and find out more about her past.


	8. Chapter 8

All morning, Hermione talked with Voldemort, getting to know the wizard who had fathered her and learning about her past. By wordless understanding, neither of them mentioned their current situation and the fact Voldemort was a dark wizard and up until recently Hermione had considered him her enemy. Instead they focused on getting to know one another, and they spent a long time talking about Hermione's mother.

Hermione discovered that her mother's name was Ella, and that she and Voldemort had been very much in love. When Voldemort spoke about his late wife, it was with genuine emotion and Hermione could see how how much he still missed her. When he recounted how broken she'd been after what had happened to Hermione, he was overcome with emotion and he shed several tears as he recalled how his wife hadn't been able to cope with losing their daughter and after months of depression had taken her own life.

Hermione herself also shed more than a few tears at the story, and she felt a burning hatred for everyone involved in her kidnapping. It didn't matter that Voldemort was a dark and dangerous wizard, he was still a human being and no-one had any right to take his child from him. Especially as he wasn't the only one affected by her kidnapping and an innocent woman had ended up so broken that she'd felt the only way out of her pain was to end her life. The injustice of it all made Hermione want to scream, and as she sat with Voldemort, learning about the mother she would never know, she wished a fiery and painful vengeance on Dumbledore and his precious Order.

"Ella would have loved you so much," Voldemort whispered, his voice still crackling with emotion. "She did love you so much. You were her world, Hope. And to answer your earlier question, your mother named you. She named you Hope because you were our hope of carrying on our legacy."

"Of darkness?" Hermione queried as she brushed at her damp face.

"It's a funny thing about darkness, but it all depends on your definition of dark," Voldemort said with a low chuckle. "Someone, somewhere once decided which magic was the so called Dark Arts, and began a culture of frowning on those who used that branch of magic. But once upon a time, magic was just magic. After all, even a so called light spell can be used to create pain and suffering. And people who are supposed to be the saviours of our world, steal babies and fake their deaths."

"So really there is no real light and dark, just different shades of grey," Hermione said.

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," Voldemort agreed with a nod. "I can't claim to be a nice man, Hope. I've done things that most people would call evil. But that is not all there is to me. Your mother could see the man beneath the mask, and I hope that one day you'll be able to do the same."

"I already can," Hermione admitted with a sad smile. After all, there was no way she could deny that Voldemort had a heart after witnessing his raw emotions over the course of the morning. "And I think you're right on the varying shades of grey in the world. I've always considered myself a good person, but right now I've got so much anger towards Dumbledore and the others who helped kidnap me. At the minute, I wouldn't be at all sad to hear they were all dead."

"You have a right to be angry, Hope," Voldemort said gently, not wanting to push the girl sitting next to him, but wanting her to embrace the side of her that was most like him. "As a baby, you were stolen from parents who loved you. Maybe we weren't the sort of parents the like of Dumbledore would approve of, but Ella and I loved you. You were everything to us. But because of Dumbledore, not only did we lose our daughter, but you lost your family. I'm not saying the muggles who raised you haven't loved you, but they're not who you should have been with. And even now you know the truth, you'll never get to know your mother because Dumbledore caused her so much pain he might as well have killed her with his own wand. So I say you have every right to be angry."

"I know, I just don't want the anger to change me," Hermione admitted. "I know you'll protect me and make sure nothing happens to me, but I have to warn you, I don't see myself ever fighting alongside you."

"No-one is asking you to do anything you don't want to do," Voldemort assured his daughter. "And don't worry about fighting. Right now, let's focus on getting through these next few weeks."

"Do you think things are going to get tricky?"

"I guess that depends on Dumbledore, and if he's willing to let you go without a fight. But if he does try and get you back, he's going to get more than he bargained for. He's going to be the one exposed as a liar and a kidnapper. But I guess we're just going to have to wait and see what happens."

"I guess so," Hermione agreed with a nod as there was a knock on the door and Narcissa poked her head into the room.

"Sorry to disturb you, but we're about to have lunch. Would you like me to send one of the elves in with some food?" she asked with a warm smile.

"Actually Narcissa, I should be leaving," Voldemort said as he rose to his feet. "We don't know what's going to happen this afternoon, so I think it's better if I'm not around. But I will come and back and see you tomorrow, Hope, if that's okay."

"I'd like that," Hermione said with a smile as she also got to her feet.

Once Voldemort had left, Hermione accompanied Narcissa to the dining room. She found Severus had already left, with plans to try and head to Order headquarters before Dumbledore found out where she was and grab Crookshanks and some of her stuff. But Lucius and Draco were in the dining room, even though Draco was disappointed by Voldemort not joining them as he'd wanted to meet the dark wizard.

"I'm sure you'll get your chance to meet The Dark Lord sooner or later," Lucius told his disappointed son.

"I suppose I will," Draco conceded with a sigh, before turning to Hermione who had slid into the chair next to him. "Do you like him?" he asked.

Hermione considered the question for a short time before nodding her head. "I think I do actually." she hadn't expected to actually like Voldemort, but it was incredibly hard not to like someone who so clearly loved her and was overjoyed to have her back in his life.

"So he's not too scary?" Draco pressed.

"Actually, he is pretty scary," Hermione admitted honestly. There had been a couple of times over the course of the morning where she'd seen the intimidating wizard he was famed for being, and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he was a formidable enemy. "I'm not sure you could handle meeting him," she added teasingly, deciding to see if Draco had meant what he said about being friends, or if he would take offence and prove that he didn't really want to get to know her.

"I could handle him, I'm tougher than I look," Draco retorted.

"You're not that tough, you let me get the better of you in third year."

"I did not let you get the better of me, you took me by surprise," Draco muttered, blushing slightly as he recalled the time Hermione had almost broken his nose by punching him in the face. "And just in case you didn't know, friends don't recall the times they hit other friends," he added with a slight smirk, just to let Hermione know he wasn't too offended by her mentioning the most embarrassing moment of his adolescence.

"I'll try and remember that," Hermione said with a slight smile, rather taken aback by how easy it was to banter back and forth with Draco.

"Do that, and I'll give you a tour of the manor," Draco said. "If you're going to be staying her for the foreseeable future, you should know your way around. It is okay if I show Hermione around this afternoon, isn't it?" he checked with his father.

"It's fine by me, if the Ministry turn up I can have an elf find the pair of you," Lucius replied.

"So do you want a tour after lunch?" Draco asked, turning back to Hermione.

"I'd love it," Hermione said, bestowing Draco with a warm smile, before settling down to eat her lunch.

* * *

Severus hadn't planned on leaving the manor before Hermione had finished with Voldemort, but as the morning ticked on he became aware that the chance of being able to retrieve Hermione's cat were diminishing. He'd already decided that he would try and sneak into headquarters to find Crookshanks and grab her some clothes, before returning and seeing what was going on. But in order to do that, he would have to get going, so he left earlier than planned but promised Lucius that he would be back when he could, both to update them on the situation with the Order and to check on Hermione.

After leaving the manor, Severus headed straight to Grimmauld Place, only before he entered the house he cast a disillusionment charm on himself. He then entered the house very carefully, and was grateful that no-one was in the hallway when he arrived. Not knowing where anyone was in the house put Severus at a bit of a disadvantage, but he wasn't about to let that stop him and he quietly and carefully made his way up to the room Hermione had been given upon her arrival at Headquarters.

Luckily for Severus no-one else was in the room, but even better, Hermione's ginger half kneazle cat, Crookshanks was sitting curled on the bed. Hoping that Crookshanks really was as smart as he appeared, Severus removed the charm and revealed himself to the cat. Ordering the cat to be quiet, he pulled a bag from the wardrobe and pulling out his wand, he magically packed as many of Hermione's belongings as he could manage.

"You're going to have to be quiet, cat," Severus whispered as he slung the bag over his shoulder and gingerly reached out for the feline. "Stay quiet and I can take you to Hermione."

Obediently, Crookshanks allowed Severus to pick him up in his arms, and he didn't utter a single cry as he re-erected the disillusionment charm over them both. With Crookshanks safely nestled in his arms, Severus once again quietly and carefully moved through Grimmauld Place and headed to the front door. As it was when he arrived, the front hallway was empty and he was able to slip out of the house without any even realising he'd been there.

Instead of going home from Grimmauld Place, Severus went straight back to the manor and after handing Crookshanks and Hermione's bag over to one of the elves, he headed back to Order Headquarters. This time he entered the house without any charms to hide himself, and he strode into the kitchen with his usual quiet confidence.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius spat as soon as he laid eyes on the Potions Master.

"I came to see if there was any news of Hermione," Severus replied. "I rather expected to heard from Albus before now. I've been sitting at home all morning, waiting for an update."

"We're all waiting for an update," Molly said with a sigh, from where she was sitting at the table, her four youngest children gathered around her, all looking pale and worried.

"There's been no word?" Severus asked with a concerned frown. "Albus said he'd asked the Ministry to activate her under-age trace. Shouldn't they have had the results by now?"

"We should have had a trace by now," Remus admitted. "But Albus has sent a message from the Ministry saying there'd been a problem. The magic the ministry use to activate the under-age trace has been malfunctioning and giving false readings. The first result placed Hermione in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and when the result was queried and rechecked it then placed her in Quebec in Canada."

"So basically we have to wait until they can sort the problem and get an accurate reading," Molly finished.

"And in the mean time, anything could be happening to Hermione," Ron spat, choking down a sob and gulping harshly.

"We have to stay positive, Ron," Ginny said, wrapping an arm around her brother. "We'll find Hermione, and with any luck she'll be back with us before Harry arrives this evening."

"You're bringing Potter here today?" Severus questioned in surprise.

"Why wouldn't we?" Sirius demanded sharply. "It was always the plan for him to spend most of his summer with us. This changes nothing."

"If you say so," Severus said mildly, half hoping that Harry was at Grimmauld Place before all the fun began as he was pretty curious what the reaction of The Boy Who Lived would be when he discovered that his precious Dumbledore wasn't the hero he liked to paint himself as.

* * *

Dumbledore was well and truly fed up with the Ministry and their ineptitude and as the hours of the afternoon slowly ticked by, he began to curse himself for not relying on his own magic to find Hermione. Tracking spells took several hours to weave together and could be very difficult to get working, so he'd figured using the under-age magic trace the Ministry had on Hermione would have been the quicker way to find the missing witch. However, he hadn't expected the delays and mistakes they'd encountered and he was having to bite his tongue so he didn't snap at the technicians trying to fix the trace.

"This trace was working fine just a few days ago," he finally snapped, unable to hold his tongue any longer. "It detected Harry Potter defending himself from Dementors."

"That remains to be proven, Albus," the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, said haughtily.

Fudge was present at the proceedings as Dumbledore had personally come to him for help in finding Hermione, and the last thing the Minister wanted was to be accused of turning a blind eye when an under-age witch had seemingly vanished into thin air. However, that didn't mean he was currently on overly friendly terms with the Headmaster of Hogwarts. At this moment in time, Dumbledore's insistence that the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, had returned was giving the Ministry a serious headache as they tried to nip the rumours in the bud and prevent an all out panic in the general population. And of course it really didn't help that Dumbledore's protégée, Harry Potter, had been detected using magic in front of muggles and was scheduled to attend a hearing to determine if he would be allowed to return to Hogwarts.

"I know, now is not the time to discuss Harry's case," Dumbledore admitted with a sigh. "I'm just frustrated with the lack of progress. I thought we would have had a fix on Miss Granger before now."

"There might still be a simple explanation," Fudge said, softening slightly as she could see the genuine concern Dumbledore had for his missing pupil. "Are you sure the girl didn't go back home? You did say she was staying with friends when she vanished."

"She's not at home," Dumbledore replied. He had actually checked with the Grangers to see if Hermione had returned home, but they hadn't seen her since she'd left to spend her summer with her friends.

"I think we're up and running," one of the technicians suddenly called.

"But will the results be accurate?" Dumbledore asked as the necessary information was loaded into the device that tracked under-age magic and would hopefully give them Hermione's location.

"We're pretty sure it's working correctly this time," the technician replied.

"You said that two hours ago," Dumbledore muttered as the spell was cast and he held his breath as the results appeared on a piece of parchment.

"I'm not sure this is right," Fudge admitted as he picked up the parchment and frowned at the location the spell had located Hermione at. "Try the spell again and see if it verifies this result."

"Where does it say she is this time, Brazil?" Dumbledore snorted as a second spell was preformed to check the results of the first one.

"No, she's in this country," Fudge replied as he was handed the second set of results, which were exactly the same as the first set. "Wiltshire to be precise."

"Wiltshire? What's in Wiltshire?" Dumbledore questioned.

"According to these results, your missing student is currently in Wiltshire at the home of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

"Malfoy Manor," Dumbledore gasped, his blood running cold and the potential implications of Hermione being with the Malfoys. The only question was, had she been kidnapped, or had she gone to Malfoy Manor of her own free will?


	9. Chapter 9

"Kidnapped?" Fudge snorted incredulously, giving Dumbledore a look that suggested that he thought the headmaster had lost his mind.

The pair were currently in Fudge's office, and Dumbledore had informed that Minister of Magic that he believed Hermione Granger had been kidnapped and that her life was in danger.

"Yes, kidnapped," Dumbledore repeated. "I know for a fact that Miss Granger would never go to the Malfoys willingly."

"Why not?" Fudge questioned with a shrug. "Their son must be around her age. Perhaps the two are friends."

"Hermione is a muggleborn," Dumbledore scoffed. "Believe what you want about the Malfoys, but even you can't pretend they would tolerate their son befriending a muggleborn. Certainly not to the extent that they would invite her to visit them at home."

"I admit the idea is a strange one, but not beyond the realms of possibility," Fudge argued. "And I certainly can't believe that Lucius would kidnap anyone. He's a well respected member of our community, and is someone I've worked with on numerous occasions and never had any problems with."

"We could argue all day about Lucius Malfoy, and debate our own personal opinions on the man," Dumbledore said. "But what is important now, is that a fifteen year old girl has vanished from the place she was staying with friends, and now she is seemingly at the Malfoys. Surely it warrants a visit to the manor to at least find out what's going on."

"I suppose you're right," Fudge admitted reluctantly. "But you will not be able to go to the manor yourself. Since I know Lucius, I will go personally. And just to satisfy you, I will take an Auror with me in case of any wrong doing. Does that meet your approval, Albus?" he asked sarcastically.

"It's not ideal, but I can accept that it's how things must be played," Dumbledore said with a sigh as he pulled out a chair and settled himself in front of the Minister's desk. "I'm assuming you don't mind if I wait her for your return."

"Of course not," Fudge replied with a fake smile as he called for his assistant and asked for an available Auror to be sent to his office.

By pure chance the Auror who arrived was Kingsley Shackelbolt. Kingsley was actually a part of the newly reformed Order of the Phoenix, but he took extreme care not to let his boss see that he already knew Dumbledore. The Ministry's official stance was that Lord Voldemort had not returned, so Kingsley and his colleague Tonks, were careful to keep their connection to Dumbledore and the Order private.

Once Fudge had quickly briefed Kingsley on the situation, unaware that the Auror already knew of Hermione's disappearance, though not her new-found whereabouts, the pair left for Malfoy Manor, leaving Dumbledore alone in the Minister's office to contemplate what was going on. Left alone with his thoughts, Dumbledore couldn't help but prepare himself for the worst and that somehow Hermione knew the truth about who she was. Although how that could have happened, he didn't know and try as he might, he couldn't work out where the truth could have come from.

Even now, faced with the possibility of the truth coming out, Dumbledore couldn't bring himself to regret his course of action fifteen years ago. He'd convinced the rest of the Order that it was too dangerous to allow Voldemort to raise a child, and he stood by that even now. He firmly believed that he was doing the right thing for Hermione, in giving her a chance to grow up away from the darkness, and even if she did somehow know who she was, he was determined to get her to listen to reason and make her see that everything he'd ever done had been in her best interests. He was the only person who'd ever cared what was best for her, and he wasn't going to rest until Hermione could see that too.

Although not wanting to get too bogged down with thoughts of things that might never happen, Dumbledore turned his mind away from the situation with Hermione. Instead he started to think about Harry, and what they would have to do in order to convince the Ministry that he hadn't broken any laws by using magic outside of school and in front of muggles, he was in fact just trying to save his cousin from a Dementor attack.

Running over the strategy for Harry's hearing in his head, Dumbledore lost track of time and was slightly startled when the door to Fudge's office opened and the Minister entered the room with Kingsley behind him. Dumbledore's eyes immediately searched for Hermione, but when there was no sign of the bushy haired witch, he turned his focus onto Fudge.

"Well? Where is she? Was she there?"

"Miss Granger was in fact at Malfoy Manor," Fudge said coldly, fixing his stare on Dumbledore as he settled himself at his desk.

"And?" Dumbledore pressed.

"And she is there of her own free will," Fudge replied.

"Nonsense," Dumbledore snorted. "You can't trust a word that comes out of Lucius Malfoy's mouth."

"It wasn't Lucius who said she was there willingly, it was Miss Granger herself," Fudge said.

"You spoke to her."

"I did," Fudge confirmed with a nod. "And she convinced me that she is exactly where she wants to be. The Malfoys are not holding her there against her will. She is free to leave whenever she wants."

"Then why didn't you make her leave with you?" Dumbledore demanded.

"Because she made it perfectly clear that she had no intention of leaving the manor," Fudge answered. "And she said that if I wanted to know why she'd left where she was staying to ask you."

"Me?" Dumbledore frowned. "I have no idea why she vanished."

"Perhaps Molly Weasley can help," Fudge suggested. "Miss Granger also suggested I talk to her. I got the distinct impression there was something she wasn't telling me, Albus, so this is the time to be honest with me. What is the real story with Miss Granger?"

"I honestly know no more than I've already told you," Dumbledore said quietly, his mind whirring as he tried to work out where Molly fit into the mix. He knew she wasn't happy about Hermione's return to their world, but he didn't think she would have spilled the beans to Hermione about her real family. "But I can promise you that this is not the end. The Malfoys have no right to keep Hermione at the manor. I will be back Cornelius, and I will have the Grangers with me. And there is no way you can deny them custody of their daughter."

"Come back by all means, and maybe then we can get some answers," Fudge said as Dumbledore rose to his feet. "There is something strange going on here, Albus, and I will not rest until I get to the bottom of it."

Ignoring the Minister's threat, Dumbledore swept from the office and through the outer offices of the Minister. However, instead of immediately leaving the floor, he waited until Kingsley emerged from the offices in order to get back to his own job.

"What happened Kingsley?" Dumbledore asked as the Auror pressed the button that would summon the lift. "Did Hermione really claim to be with the Malfoys of her own accord?"

"She did," Kingsley confirmed in his deep voice as the lift arrived and the two men stepped into the deserted gold box. "Everything the Minister told you was true. If she is being held against her will, they're doing a good job of controlling her. I caught her eye a couple of times, trying to silently let her know that I could help her, but she didn't react."

"The Imperius curse is impossible to detect," Dumbledore mused. "If Lucius has her under that curse, she could fool anyone into believing what she's saying."

"Maybe, but what about what she said about Molly?" Kingsley asked. "She was adamant that Molly knew more than she was letting on. And while the Minister was talking to Lucius at one point, she mouthed Sirius to me. Fudge is right, there is something more going on here, and I think you know what it is."

"What makes you think that?" Dumbledore asked as the doors opened on the floor where the Auror offices were located.

"I'm an Auror, I'm trained to know when people are hiding something, and you've been shifty all day Albus," Kingsley said, partially stepping out of the lift and holding it open so he could carry on talking. "If you want my advice, come clean about what you're hiding. Or at least confide in the Order. If we know the truth then we can help, but if you're going to keep us in the dark, then you'll end up all alone."

Stepping out of the lift, Kingsley let go of the doors and they slid shut, leaving Dumbledore to his thoughts as he travelled the rest of the way down to the atrium. He was still lost in his thoughts as he alighted the lift, crossed the atrium and flooed back home. He remained at home long enough to use the bathroom, then he headed to Grimmauld Place, still not at all sure what he was going to say to the rest of the Order. Did he follow Kingsley's advice and come clean about what he suspected was happening, or did he lie until he could find a way to get to Hermione and talk some sense into her?

"Where's Hermione?" Ron demanded the second he stepped foot into the kitchen.

"Did you find her?" Remus questioned.

"Is she hurt?" Ginny asked. "Is she dead?" she whispered, noticing the shell-shocked look on the headmaster's face.

"She's alive," Dumbledore muttered as he slumped down in one of the empty seats. In fact there wasn't a lot of people in the room, but he knew that a lot more of the Order would be arriving as the afternoon drew to a close as it was the night they were going to bring Harry from his relatives house.

"But in what state?" Fred asked warily.

"I haven't seen her, but the Minister talked to her and he said she seemed fine," Dumbledore admitted. "Kingsley was also with him, and he said the same thing," he added, noticing Ron had opened his mouth to argue.

"So where is she then?" Remus asked. "And what happened to her?"

"I'm still not sure what exactly happened," Dumbledore confessed. "But as for where she is, she's in Wiltshire. At Malfoy Manor to be precise."

"Malfoy Manor?" Ron exploded as everyone turned to face Severus, who was sitting calmly at the far end of the table.

"You," Sirius hissed at Severus, hatred burning in his eyes. "You were behind this."

"I helped," Severus admitted with a shrug.

"Severus?" Dumbledore gaped at his Potions Master, not wanting to believe that he'd been betrayed by someone he'd always trusted.

"I always told you the bastard was still a Death Eater," Sirius snarled.

"I knew we couldn't trust you," Ron yelled, jumping to his feet and pulling his wand out and pointing it at the head of Slytherin. "I'm going to kill you for taking Hermione."

"You try cursing me and I'll make you regret it," Severus warned in a low voice.

"Don't you dare threaten my son, you traitor," Molly screeched, although at the same time she plucked Ron's wand from his shaking hand.

"It's funny you should mention threats, Molly, because it was your threat that started this all," Severus chuckled, actually starting to enjoy himself as he prepared to shatter the Order and expose their secrets.

"My threat?" Molly frowned. "What threat? I don't know what you're talking about."

"To be fair, it wasn't just you," Severus said, his eye drifting down the table to where Sirius was sitting. "Black played his part."

"Don't you drag me into this, you spineless worm," Sirius snarled. "Dumbledore should have let you rot in Azkaban rather than save your worthless hide. You've never been loyal to us."

"Actually, I very likely would have remained loyal to you," Severus admitted. "Until I knew what you lot were really like."

"Stop speaking in riddles Severus and tell me the truth," Dumbledore demanded in a sharp shout. "I trusted you," he whispered, the pain clear for everyone to hear. "I vouched for you and saved your life, and this is how you repay me."

"I will forever be grateful that you saved my life," Severus replied quietly. "But you lost any loyalty I had for you, once I discovered the truth. I can't respect you now, not when I know what you did to Hope."

"Hope," Dumbledore gasped as Molly let out a distressed cry and Sirius and Remus went pale. "Where did you hear that name?"

"Lucius," Severus answered. "We spoke to him to get to the truth."

"We?" George questioned with a frown. "What are we missing?" he asked, aware that all the adults seemed to know something the youngsters didn't.

"Nothing, you four need to leave now," Molly ordered, regaining her senses and turning to her four youngest children. "This is Order business, and you're too young for it."

"No, this is about Hermione and I'm not going anywhere," Ron insisted.

"We're not kids, and we want the truth," Fred said. "Please Professor Snape, tell us the truth."

"After the meeting yesterday, Hermione caught me on the way out and begged to talk to me in private," Severus explained. "She convinced me it was urgent, so I took her back to my cottage. Once there she told me that she'd overheard a conversation between Molly and Sirius that revealed that she isn't who she thought she was."

"Isn't who she thought she was?" Ginny interrupted with a confused frown. "So who the hell is she?"

"Hope," Severus answered. "Daughter of Lord Voldemort."

"No way," Ron exploded, jumping to his feet and angrily shaking his fist at the Potions Professor. "You're a stinking liar. I don't believe you."

"Take a look around the room, Mr Weasley," Severus drawled, rolling his eyes at the young redheads dramatics. "Aside for you and your siblings, this news is taking no-one by surprise. They all knew who she was."

"I didn't," Remus whispered as Ron slowly looked around the room and found that there was no look of surprise on his mother's face, nor was there any surprise on the faces of Dumbledore and Sirius.

"No," Ron whimpered, collapsing back into his chair as the shock got the better of him.

"It's not possible," Remus muttered, shaking his head. "You said she would never return to our world," he spat accusingly to Dumbledore. "That was part of the deal, that she would be raised away from all magic."

"She was," Dumbledore replied in a soft voice. "But her accidental magic was strong, and it wasn't fading as she got older. I thought bringing her to Hogwarts and helping her channel her magic was the best solution. And it wasn't as if anyone was looking for her, after all, she was supposed to be dead. I thought it was safe."

"And it might have been had you not told Molly," Severus conceded. "You warned her and Arthur, didn't you? When Hermione first started Hogwarts, you told them and Molly didn't like it."

"Of course I didn't like it, she's You-Know-Who's daughter," Molly hissed. "She's a danger to my family."

"No Molly, she isn't," Dumbledore said with a long, drawn out sigh as he spotted his mistake. He wasn't quite sure what Molly had done yet, but it was already pretty clear that it was through her that Hermione had discovered the truth.

"Actually, she might very well be now," Severus said with a smirk. "After all, she did overheard Molly and Sirius plotting to kill her."

"What?" Dumbledore exploded, his eyes burning with anger as he confronted Molly and Sirius. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"How could you allow her back into our lives?" Sirius demanded angrily. "How could you allow her into Harry's life? Her father killed my best friends and left Harry an orphan, yet you thought it was alright to bring his daughter to Hogwarts and insert her in my godson's life. I was doing what you had failed to do, Albus. I was putting Harry first."

"And that is the sort of hatred Hermione overheard," Severus said calmly. "She was in fear of her life when she begged for my help. Of course, I'd never heard about Hope so I wasn't able to help her in that respect. But I knew someone who could help."

"Lucius bloody Malfoy," Dumbledore spat. "Did it have to be him you went to, Severus?"

"Lucius has always been a good friend to me, and I knew that he was once close with The Dark Lord," Severus replied with a shrug, brushing off the disappointment he heard in Dumbledore's voice. "It was easy enough for him to confirm her identity, and once we knew that Hermione was really Hope, she was more than happy to stay at the manor. And now she is safe from all of you."

"Do you really think this is the end, Severus?" Dumbledore asked wearily as the younger wizard rose to his feet. "That girl is innocent, and I don't intend on letting that monster of a father corrupt her."

"From where I'm standing there's only one monster in all of this and it isn't The Dark Lord," Severus shot back. "Who was it who kidnapped a baby? Who was it that faked her death and caused her mother so much pain and suffering that she killed herself? Who was it that kept Hermione from her true family, all because you're afraid of her father?"

"I am not afraid of Voldemort," Dumbledore spat. "I never have been."

"Maybe you should be," Severus said. "If you want my advice, leave Hermione alone. If you push this, The Dark Lord will push back and all your secrets will be exposed. Do you really want the whole world knowing what you're capable of, Albus?"

With his final threat ringing around the kitchen, and a stunned group sitting around the table, Severus stalked out of Grimmauld Place and without a second thought apparated away from the property to his new life totally and utterly on the side of The Dark Lord and his daughter.


	10. Chapter 10

In the large library at the manor, a bored Draco drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Every couple of minutes, his eyes also flicked towards the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room. To Draco it seemed as though the minutes were dragging by since a house elf had interrupted him showing Hermione around the manor to inform her that there were people from the Ministry here to talk to her. Even though they'd both half expected the interruption, Draco had still been disappointed as he'd been enjoying himself getting to know Hermione.

Although that wasn't to say they were already firm friends, as even with them both trying to get along, there had been awkward moments and silences when neither of them quite knew what to say to one another. Even so, Draco was confident that the awkwardness would pass the more time they spent together and the better they got to know each other.

Draco also couldn't help but wonder what was happening with the officials from the Ministry. He would have loved to have been there to witness what Hermione and his father were saying, but since he and Hermione were only just getting to know each other, it didn't feel right offering to go and support her. Besides, he knew his father would be right at her side and would make sure that everything went according to plan.

Hearing the library door creak open behind him, Draco turned in his chair, fully expecting to find Hermione returning. However, it was her ginger cat, Crookshanks, that sauntered into the room and padded his way over to him. Crookshanks had unexpectedly turned up at the manor a couple of hours ago, thanks to Severus, and Draco could tell that the cat was already settling into life at the manor. He had no doubt that the cat would end up totally spoiled as his mother was an animal lover and would more than likely dote on the feline.

"Make yourself at home," Draco muttered to the cat, when it jumped up on the empty chair beside him and began to curl up as though it owned the place.

Crookshanks glanced at Draco when he spoke, before turning his back on the blond wizard and settling down on the chair. Within seconds, Crookshanks was snuggled comfortably on the chair, looking as though he'd been there for hours. Shaking his head at the brazenness of the cat, Draco allowed his thoughts to drift back to Hermione and what was happening elsewhere in the manor.

Luckily for Draco, he didn't have to wonder for too long before the door to the library was pushed open again and this time Hermione entered the room. However, he immediately noticed that she had a frown on her face, and it looked as though she had something on her mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she picked Crookshanks up from the chair and took his seat, settling the cat back on her lap and stroking it's long fur.

"I guess so," Hermione replied in a small voice.

"You don't look okay," Draco stated. "Did something happen with the people from the Ministry? You're not worried that you'll be taken away, are you?"

"I know I'm safe here," Hermione assured him. "It just that things didn't go entirely as I thought they would."

"What happened?"

"When I got to your father's study, I found the Minister himself was here, along with an Auror who happens to be part of the Order."

"I take it he's a secret member of the Order given the Ministry's stance on your father's return," Draco remarked.

"I assume so," Hermione said with a shrug, having never really given any thought to the situation with the Order members who also happened to be employed by the Ministry of Magic. "At any rate, he didn't greet me as though he knew me. He just settled for trying to catch my eye."

"So what else happened?" Draco asked, sensing that Hermione hadn't yet reached the part of her story that was causing her problems.

"Fudge asked me what was going on, and instead of telling him everything like we'd talked about, I just dropped cryptic hints about Dumbledore. I said that he had the answers, and that he knew why I have left. I also mentioned Molly, and said she was also involved in my decision to leave. I then managed to mouth Sirius's name to Kingsley, he's the Auror who was with Fudge," she added, not sure if Draco would know who Kingsley was.

"So what's the problem?" Draco asked with a confused frown. "Even though you haven't told the full story yet, you've let the Ministry know that there's something going on. You've even let a member of the Order know that there's something strange going on. Fudge is bound to question Dumbledore, and even if he manages to avoid telling the Minister the truth, an Auror who's part of the Order knows something is going on. He's bound to press the issue with the Order, or at least with the Mother Weasel and Black."

"I know all that," Hermione conceded with a sigh. "And I don't for one minute think we've seen the last of Fudge. I'm sure he'll be back and I'll get to tell the whole story. I just hadn't meant to drop devious little hints about what was going on. It all just sort of happened."

"So what is really bothering you is the fact you acted like a Slytherin," Draco declared with a knowing smirk.

"Yes," Hermione confessed in a whisper. "When I said what I did to the Minister, your father gave me this proud smirk, and that's when I realised I'd acted just like a Slytherin."

"And you think there's something wrong in that?" Draco asked, sounding a bit harsher than he'd planned to, causing Hermione to look at him in surprise. "Sorry," he quickly apologised. "It's just that I'm proud of my Slytherin tendencies, and for what it's worth, I think most people have it in them to be devious if the occasion calls for it."

"But did the occasion really call for it?" Hermione countered. "We've already decided to expose what Dumbledore's done. What did I achieve by speaking in riddles?"

"You've likely put Dumbledore under even more pressure," Draco said. "The truth hasn't come out yet, but he must now suspect that you know it. And then chances are Severus will confirm his worst fears, and that will leave the Order in a right panic. From what I can see, you've just prolonged their suffering."

"But why would I do that?" Hermione whispered.

"Because they hurt you, Hermione, and you have every right to hate them," Draco said softly, leaning forward so he was almost close enough to touch the witch sitting in the chair beside him. "What they did to you was unforgivable, and it's perfectly understandable that you'd want them to suffer. And don't be ashamed that you've got a Slytherin side, because it's always been there."

"I doubt that," Hermione said with a light laugh, feeling slightly better after accepting what Draco was saying.

"Just think about the last four years at Hogwarts, and how many rules you broke," Draco said. "You've definitely got a mischievous, devious side to your nature, but that's okay. You are allowed to be more than the perfect Gryffindor princess, whose top of the class and teacher's pet in most subjects."

"I suppose you could be right," Hermione conceded with a small smile. "After all, you're more than the cold-hearted, stuck-up Slytherin everyone thinks you are."

"I am?" Draco questioned with a slight frown.

"Yes, you are," Hermione replied with a nod, her smile widening. "You've only really known me since this morning, but you've gone out of your way to help me adjust to how things now are. You've got a good heart, Draco, and I think you could be loyal enough to rival even the proudest Hufflepuff."

"Have you just called me a Hufflepuff?" Draco asked, his nose crinkling in distaste.

"There are worse things than being considered loyal," Hermione said with a shrug.

"I suppose there are," Draco agreed. "And there are worse things than wanting the people who kidnapped you a baby to suffer," he added meaningfully.

"I get it," Hermione said with a low chuckle. "Having some Slytherin in me, isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just don't want Voldemort to get the wrong idea. I want to get to know him and build a relationship with him, but I don't want him expecting me to stand at his side as he fights for whatever the hell it is he's fighting for."

"I'm sure he won't expect anything of you," Draco said. "He probably just thrilled to have you back. Now, do you fancy finishing the tour of the house? We were sort of interrupted earlier."

"Okay, but first I want to explore the library further," Hermione said, gently getting up and putting Crookshanks back on the seat to continue sleeping.

"Your wish is my command," Draco said with a grin as he also got up and led Hermione deeper into the vast library at Malfoy Manor.

* * *

Unaware of what else was going on in the wizarding world, a morose Harry Potter, lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering what was to become of him. The summer holidays had barely started when he'd encountered a couple of Dementors, and he'd been forced to use magic to protect himself and his horrid cousin, Dudley. However, the Ministry seemed unconcerned about the danger he'd been in as within an hour of performing the Patronus charm, he received a letter warning him that he would have to face a hearing at the Ministry to decide if he would be allowed to return to Hogwarts.

The thought of not returning to Hogwarts, the only place he'd ever felt as though he belonged, made Harry feel sick to the stomach. He was just hoping that the people he loved would help his fight the unfair charges, but he wasn't even sure on that. Just after receiving the letter from the Ministry, he'd received one from the Weasleys, promising that they knew what had happened and were making plans for him to join them for the summer. However, with each day that passed without word from the family, Harry began to wonder if a return to The Burrow would ever happen. In his bleaker moments, he even worried that he would spend the rest of his life with the Dursleys, totally forgotten by his friends in the wizarding world.

"Harry!" Petunia Durlsey's loud screech echoed up the stairs and jolted Harry from his maudlin thoughts.

Reluctantly Harry rolled off his bed and leaving his bedroom, made his way towards the stairs. He only had to descend a few stairs in order to see his aunt, uncle and cousin all standing in the hallway with their coats on.

"Are we going somewhere?" he asked with a frown, not recalling any mention of them going out.

"We are," his uncle, Vernon Dursley, replied. "You're staying here."

"There's some leftover ham in the fridge and a couple of slices of bread for you to make yourself a sandwich for dinner," Petunia said icily, not needing to say that they would know if Harry helped himself to anything more from the kitchen.

"And don't wait up, we might be late," Vernon added. "Come now Petunia, Dudley, we're going to be late for dinner at this rate."

"Can I have meatballs and garlic mushrooms for my starter?" Dudley asked, shooting Harry a malicious smirk, delighting in letting his cousin know he was off to stuff his face while Harry had to made do with a pathetic sandwich.

"You can have whatever you like, pudding," Petunia said indulgently as the family bustled out of the house, not even bothering to say a final goodbye to Harry.

"Good riddance," Harry muttered, coming all the way down the stairs and seeing the family car slide out of the driveway and along the street.

With a sigh, Harry headed to the kitchen to make his dinner, before settling down in the front room with the television. He rarely got a chance to watch the television on his own, but he knew that as long as the set was switched off and he was in bed before the Dursleys returned home, they would never know he'd been watching it.

Half an hour later, Harry was totally engrossed in an American comedy show when a loud sound from outside interrupted him. It sounded as though something, most likely one of Mrs Figg's cats, had crashed into the bins, but even so, Harry pulled out his wand as he cautiously made his way to the front door. Prepared for chase whatever creature had disturbed the bins, Harry flung open the door, only to be confronted by a woman with pink hair being helped out out of the large bin by what looked to be Alastor Moody.

"Professor?" Harry asked warily, remembering that the last time he'd been in the presence of Moody, it hadn't been him at all, but rather an imposter.

"I'm not sure I've earned the privilege to be called that, Harry," Moody said with a low chuckle as he turned to face Harry. "Come along, Nymphadora," he called back to the witch behind him who was out of the bin, but now picking stray bits of rubbish from her clothes.

"Don't call me Nymphadora," the witch hissed, her pink hair briefly turning dark red before going back to bubblegum pink.

"Whoa," Harry muttered, his eyes widening at the sight.

"Don't just stare lad, let's move it indoors," Moody said, giving Harry a gentle push. "And don't put your wand in your back pocket," he tutted when Harry stashed his wand in his jeans as he headed into the house. "It's a good way to lose your buttock."

"Really?" Harry questioned, hastily removing his wand from his jeans.

"Don't scare the boy, Mad-Eye," the pink haired witch scolded, before grinning at Harry and offering him her hand. "Hiya Harry, I'm Tonks."

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said, already liking the bright and bubbly witch with pink hair. "But what is going on, Professor?" he asked Moody.

"We've come to escort you to Order headquarters," Moody replied.

"Order Headquarters?" Harry frowned. "What Order, and what headquarters?"

"The Order of the Phoenix," Tonks answered as though the name should mean something to Harry. Still with no idea what was going on, Harry merely shrugged his shoulders.

"We'll explain when we arrive," Moody said with a sigh. "We don't really have time to waste, not with what's going on at the moment. Go and quickly pack your trunk, Harry."

"What is going on?" Harry asked.

"What's going on is an old decision biting us in the backside," Moody muttered, suddenly looking weary and tired. "But you'll find out soon enough. Be warned Harry, you're going to be walking right into the eye of a storm."

"Not a literal storm," Tonks reassured Harry, who looked a bit worried about what Moody was saying. "But things back at headquarters aren't exactly running smoothly."

"Should I not stay here then?" Harry asked warily, not sure if he wanted to be somewhere strange when there was a drama occurring.

"It's best that you're with us," Moody said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Don't worry Harry, the Weasleys will be around, as will Sirius," Tonks said with a small smile.

"Sirius," Harry gasped, lighting up at the mention of his godfather. "He's back?"

"And dying to see you," Tonks said. "Go and grab your stuff and we can be off."

Not needing more convincing, not now he was off to see Sirius, Harry ran from the room and tore up the stairs to hastily gather his things and pack his trunk. In his excitement it didn't take long, and after only a few minutes he had his backpack on his shoulder, his owl, Hedwig in her cage under his arm, and was tugging his trunk noisily down the stairs.

"Allow me," Tonks said, suddenly appearing at the foot of the stairs and using magic to float Harry's trunk the rest of the way to the bottom.

Without the burden of the trunk, Harry flew down the remaining stairs, and with Tonks still in control of his trunk, he checked he hadn't left anything behind, before joining Tonks and Moody outside of the house. Three broomsticks were lined up on the Dursleys front lawn, which Moody told him were hidden from the eyes of the muggle neighbours. Not that Harry could really care less if the muggles saw him, he was just happy to be getting away from the Dursleys and going to see his godfather.

Once all of Harry's luggage was secured to the three broomsticks, the trio hopped on and rising into the air, they flew away from Privet Drive and towards Grimmauld Place. However, Harry had no idea of the mess he was about to fly into, and the devastating secrets he was about to learn.


	11. Chapter 11

Harry was more than a bit surprised when they landed in the middle of what looked like a muggle neighbourhood. Even though he wasn't quite sure what The Order of the Phoenix was, he was expecting to be in the wizarding world.

"Are we in the right place?" he ventured as Tonks and Moody unpacked his things from the broomsticks.

"We are," Moody replied. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Harry. "Read that."

Opening up the parchment, Harry read the words – Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, in Dumbledore's neat handwriting. Still not sure what it meant, Harry raised his head to ask, only to be confronted with the two houses they'd landed in front of slowly move apart and reveal a hidden house in the middle of the street.

"Awesome," he gasped, watching the house magically appear in the street as though it had been there all along.

"A bit of a drama if you ask me," Moody grumbled. "We wouldn't have to deal with all this fuss if the sodding Blacks had lived in a normal wizarding house."

"The house is wizarding, it's just the neighbourhood that's muggle," Tonks pointed out.

"Did you say Blacks?" Harry interrupted, sensing that Moody and Tonks could bicker for hours. "As in Sirius?"

"It was his parents house," Moody replied. "As you know, there are certain elements of our world based in London, but a lot of magical people live outside of the city as it's easier to go unnoticed in other parts of the country. However, the Blacks wanted to live in London, so they found a way to build their house in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood."

"Quite ingenious if you ask me," Tonks remarked.

"Quite foolish if you ask me," Moody shot back. "And people wonder why we have to deal with so many muggles seeing magical things."

"So why exactly are we at Sirius's parents house?" Harry asked, once again interjecting between the bickering pair.

"Sirius now owns the house, and he's allowing the Order to use it as Headquarters," Moody replied. "You'll get a proper explanation once we're in the house, but for now all you need to know is that the Order was founded by Dumbledore and it's made up of witches and wizards who are willing to fight the dark forces."

"Although how many of them will stick around remains to be seen," Tonks muttered.

"Nymphadora," Moody hissed in a low voice. "Now is not the time."

"Harry's going to find out the truth soon enough," Tonks retorted with a shrug as she picked up Harry's trunk and led the way to the front door. "Come on, Harry, everyone will be waiting for you."

Wondering just what was going on, and what exactly he was walking into, Harry silently followed Tonks into the house, with Moody bringing up the rear. Twelve Grimmauld Place was dingy and sparsely lit when Harry crossed the threshold, but he'd hardly had time to consider the fact the house was nothing like he'd imagined Sirius growing up in, when an awful screeching started from an ugly portrait on the wall. Harry was rather taken aback when the bitter looking witch in the picture shouted at him and spat hatred about blood traitors taking over her house.

"Ignore her," Moody said as he yanked a curtain over the portrait, which muffled her cries. "She is not happy with our presence here."

"So I gathered," Harry murmured. "And I'm assuming that charming woman was Sirius's mother."

"She is," Tonks confirmed with a nod as she neatly stacked all of Harry's belongings beside the bottom of the stairs. "Just leave things here, Harry. Your stuff can be sorted later."

Gently placing Hedwig's cage on top of his trunk, Harry turned and followed Tonks down a dim corridor. At the end of the corridor was a partly open door, and before he even reached the door, Harry could see light spilling from the room. He could also hear voices, but it sounded to him as though people were arguing and sniping at each other. Still, the noise didn't stop Tonks from pushing open the door and entering a large kitchen.

Harry tentatively followed Tonks into the kitchen, and the second he appeared in the room, everyone fell silent. At one end of the large kitchen table sat the Weasleys – Molly, Arthur and their four youngest children. Professor Dumbledore sat at the opposite end of the table, along with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout. Hagrid was sat at the middle of the table next to the former Defence Professor, Remus Lupin and a couple of other people Harry didn't recognise. However, Harry didn't get a chance to say hello to any of them as Sirius rose from his seat on the other side of Remus and pulled him into his arms.

"Harry, it's so good to see you," he said jovially.

"It's good to see you too, Sirius," Harry replied with a grin. "All of you," he added, glancing around the room and smiling at everyone else, especially Ron as he'd missed his best friend.

"Sit down Harry, and I'll make you some food," Molly said, jumping to her feet. "You must be hungry. And tired. Maybe an early night is in order."

"No, I'm not tired," Harry said as he slipped into a spare chair beside Sirius and looked around the room. He could feel the tension in the air, and he wanted to know what was going on. "Is this about me?" he asked in a quiet voice. "Are you all stressed about my hearing at the Ministry? Do you think I'm going to be kicked out of Hogwarts?"

"No-one is kicking you out of Hogwarts, Harry," Dumbledore said in a decisive voice.

"So what's going on then?" Harry demanded. "I can tell something is going on, and I'm well aware that people were arguing before I entered the kitchen."

"You need to tell him, Albus," McGonagall said, her tone of voice sounding distinctly frosty to Harry.

"Yeah, we all know what's going on," Tonks added as she and Moody also sat down at the large table. "Harry deserves to know the truth."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Harry asked warily, glancing around the table at all the solemn faces.

"No mate, you won't," Ron said heavily, and Harry wondered if his best friend had been crying.

"Okay, I'm ready," Harry said as Molly handed him a cup of tea and slid a plate with a large slice of corned beef pie smothered in gravy in front of him.

"I guess we should start with some background," Dumbledore said wearily, and Harry got the distinct impression that whatever was going on, the headmaster would rather not tell him. "This is the Order of the Phoenix," he explained, gesturing to the group around the table. "Or at least part of it. I first founded the Order during Voldemort's first rise to power. We were a way of fighting back, and doing our best to keep the world safe."

"Sounds like a good idea," Harry said when Dumbledore paused.

"It was. And I still believe we stand for what is best in our world," he added, sounding almost defiant.

At his words, Professor McGonagall gave a very unladylike snort, while a couple of other people shook their heads. Even Fred and George looked totally disgusted with Dumbledore's claim, and Harry couldn't help but wonder just what he was about to find out. Judging from the looks around the room, it wasn't going to be good.

"Back during the first war we received some intelligence about Voldemort," Dumbledore continued, not rising to people's reactions to his earlier statement. "A lot of what reached out ears were just rumours and most of them proved inaccurate, but this one proved to be real. The rumour was that Voldemort had a wife, and that his wife was expecting a baby."

"Voldemort has a family?" Harry gasped in shock. Of all the things he thought he might have heard, this wasn't one of them.

"It took us by surprise as well," Dumbledore muttered, choosing not to actually answer the question Harry had asked. "For weeks we worried about what to do, and what a child of his could mean for our world. All we could see was disaster and more death ahead for our world if he had a child to raise in his image and train to take over from him. It wasn't a future any of us wanted," he finished in a whisper.

"What did you do?" Harry choked out, a cold feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He could well understand the Order being worried about Voldemort having a child, but he wasn't liking the way Dumbledore was talking.

"We decided to act," Sirius answered when Dumbledore seemed incapable of continuing his story. "We came up with a plan that would keep us all safe, including You-Know-Who's child. Once we knew about the wife, we set out of find out everything about her life. We found that they'd hired a nanny for when the child was born, so I befriended the nanny. Through her we knew when the baby was born and that it was a girl."

"But you didn't stop at just watching them, did you?" Harry whispered when Sirius stopped talking.

"No, we didn't," Remus confirmed in a low whisper, and when he looked up, Harry could see the devastation in his eyes. "More than anything, I now wish we'd taken a different course of action, but at the time we were all on board with it."

"What did you do?" Harry questioned.

"What needed to be done," Dumbledore answered, finding his voice again. "We couldn't let Voldemort raise a child, not with his darkness. With the help of the nanny, we faked an illness for the child when her parents were away and she was rushed to St Mungo's. I have everything sorted at that end and by the time Voldemort and his wife returned, their daughter was dead."

"You killed an innocent baby?" Harry spluttered, feeling bile rise in his throat at the thought of people he trusted doing such a wicked thing.

"Of course we didn't," Molly gasped. "We faked her death, and removed her to safety."

"Before Voldemort and his wife were even back in the country, I had their daughter out of the wizarding world and settled with a muggle couple," Dumbledore said. "She was safe away from Voldemort's darkness, and because he thought she was dead, he wasn't looking for her. It was the perfect plan, and no-one should ever have known it had happened."

"Until you decided to mess with things and brought her back into our lives," Sirius spat, glaring angrily at Dumbledore. "What's happening now is all your fault."

"I would say you and Molly need to shoulder your part of the blame," Remus accused, giving his best friend a look of pure disgust. "Or are you conveniently forgetting that it was you two that caused Hermione to run in fear of her life?"

"Hermione?" Harry frowned at the unexpected mention of his best friend, before he slowly started putting the pieces together and coming to a devastating conclusion. "Hermione was the baby you stole," he whispered after a couple of minutes deduction. "She's Voldemort's daughter."

"Makes you sick, doesn't it?" Ron spat. "All this time I thought she was our friend, when really she was the enemy."

Taken aback by the venom in Ron's voice, Harry looked over at his friend and almost recoiled at the hatred burning in his friend's eyes. It was clear that Ron hadn't taken the news well, and while Harry could only think of the suffering Hermione had been put through, his friend seemed to be focusing on who her father was.

"It's true, isn't it?" Harry demanded, turning away from Ron and towards Dumbledore. "Hermione was the baby you stole."

"She was the baby we saved," Dumbledore corrected.

"Say what you want, but you lot stole her," Harry hissed, not caring who saw how angry he was at what had happened. "I'm not saying that it was ideal that Voldemort had a child, but you had no right to take that child. What about her mother? Did anyone give any thought to what you were doing to her? She thought her child had died. How could you put anyone through that pain?"

"She was no innocent, Harry," Sirius warned his godson. "She knew who she was married to, and what he was capable of."

"And that warranted kidnapping her baby and making her think she was dead?" Harry scoffed. "That poor woman, she must have been heartbroken. And what about Hermione? You stole her from her parents, and what, just handed her over to some couple you didn't know?"

"She wasn't just handed over to some random couple," Dumbledore argued. "She was with people who loved her."

"I suppose that's more than you gave me," Harry snarled, his anger at what had happened to Hermione bringing up a few issues he'd suppressed over the years. "I was just dumped with the Dursleys because they happened to be relatives of my mother. They certainly didn't love me, hell they don't even want me."

"Maybe now is not the time for this," McGonagall said quietly, her own guilt flaring up due to all the times she'd allowed Dumbledore to override her concern for Harry's well-being with his horrid family.

"Now is the time to focus on Hermione," Harry said fiercely. "What did Professor Lupin mean when he said she'd ran for her life? What happened to her and where is she?"

"Not here," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "She was here, up until yesterday when she went missing," he added.

"What happened?" Harry repeated in a low voice.

"Yesterday we realised she was missing, and thanks to her under-age magic trace, we were able to track her location this afternoon," Dumbledore explained. "She's at Malfoy Manor."

"Malfoy Manor?" Harry repeated in surprise. "And just how did she get there?"

"How do you think?" Sirius snorted. "Bloody Snape."

"Snape took Hermione to Malfoy Manor?" Harry questioned. "Why?"

"Because she went to him for help," Remus informed Harry with a sad sigh. "After what she heard, she clearly didn't trust any of us."

"Just what did she hear?" Harry demanded of his godfather. "Please Sirius, tell me the truth."

"I didn't know who Hermione was," Sirius said with a long sigh. "When we agreed to take You-Know-Who's daughter it was on the understanding that she would be raised away from magic and kept out of our world. But then Molly told me that Hermione was that child. Not only was she learning magic and back in our world, but she was in our lives. Your life, Harry. That danger we all tried to stop was back."

"Hermione isn't a danger to me," Harry insisted "She's my best friend."

"She's You-Know-Who's daughter," Ron spat. "She can't be trusted, Harry. She's the enemy."

"Do you really think that?" Harry asked, turning to his friend. "After everything Hermione has done for us, done for me. Do you really think she's the enemy? She's saved my life Ron, more than once. If it wasn't for Hermione, I wouldn't still be here," he added, slowly looking around everyone in the room. "She is not the enemy, she is my best friend."

"Good for you, Harry," Fred said. "We've been saying the same thing all afternoon."

"Yeah, who Hermione's father is doesn't define who she is as a person," George added.

"Exactly," Dumbledore said with a nod of his head. "Which is why tomorrow morning, I will be going to the Ministry with the Grangers and we will be bringing Hermione home with us."

"But why exactly did she leave in the first place?" Harry asked. "And why was she in fear of her life?"

"She never should have been allowed back into our lives," Molly whispered, more to herself than to Harry. "I wasn't going to give her the chance we hurt my children."

"We weren't going to give her that chance," Sirius corrected, looking straight at Harry. "Her father killed your parents, Harry. James and Lily are dead because of him. I wasn't going to allow his daughter the chance to get close to you and lead you to your death."

"What did you do, Sirius?" Harry asked in a quiet voice, already fearing the answer.

"Molly and I vowed to get rid of her," Sirius answered, sounding completely unrepentant. "We didn't know she'd heard us."

"So not only did she overhear who she was, but then she heard two people she trusted, plotting to kill her?" Harry snapped, looking at both Molly and Sirius in disgust.

All Harry could think about was how the pair had disappointed him. He'd loved Molly as a surrogate mother from almost the second he'd met her, and while he was still just getting to know Sirius he already idolised him and had hoped he would be like the father he'd never had. Now they'd both shown their true colours, and their actions made him sick. Maybe at a push he could have understood the Order's actions in kidnapping Hermione all those years ago, but he would never be able to understand Molly and Sirius plotting to kill the girl he thought of as a sister. These weren't the actions of good people, and quite frankly he couldn't blame Hermione for running.

"How could you of all people do this, Sirius?" Harry questioned. "You know what it's like to be judged based on who your parents are. You fought to prove you were different from the rest of the family. Yet you weren't willing to give Hermione the same chance."

"Don't you dare compare me, and what I went through with my family, with Hermione," Sirius hissed.

"Why not?" Harry demanded. "It's the same thing. You're judging Hermione on who her father is, yet you did everything in your power to prove that you weren't like the rest of the Blacks. If you were given the chance to prove yourself, why didn't you give Hermione the same chance?"

"Because it's a whole world of difference being from a family who supports You-Know-Who, than being his flesh and blood," Sirius argued. "His blood runs in her veins, Harry. She's the daughter of the darkest wizard the world has ever known. Her very presence in our world is a threat to our safety. I'm not saying Hermione herself is evil, but there is a potential for darkness in her that we can't ignore."

"So basically it's one rule for you, and another one for Hermione," Harry snorted in disgust. "Well you know what Sirius, all your fighting to prove you were different to your family was in vain. You're not a good person at all. In fact the whole lot of you make me sick," he added as he shakily got to his feet. "I hope to god you don't get Hermione back, because she doesn't deserve to be brought back here."

"You do understand what her being at the manor means, don't you?" Dumbledore questioned. "It means she's in contact with Voldemort. If we leave her where she is, he'll corrupt her and everything we've ever done to protect her will be in vain. If we leave her then she truly will become your enemy."

"Hermione will never be my enemy," Harry returned with a fierce shake of his head. "If I had some place else to go, or even if I knew how to get back to the Dursleys, I would leave here now. But I don't, so could someone please show me where I can sleep."

"I'll do it," Sirius volunteered, getting to his feet.

"No," Harry said, backing away from his godfather. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"I'll show you to your room," Tonks offered.

Thanking Tonks, Harry followed her from the kitchen. As he did so, he heard Molly assuring Sirius that he would come around and he just needed a bit of time to accept things. However, Harry honestly didn't think that time would change anything. The people he'd loved and trusted the most had betrayed the one person who'd been there for him unconditionally since he'd entered the wizarding world, and he would never forgive them for that. Because of the Order, he might never see Hermione again, and if he did, she may no longer be his friend. But he would always be her friend, and he would do everything he could to keep her safe and out of the clutches of the Order.


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione didn't rise until the middle of the morning on her second morning at the manor. The previous day she'd been up at the crack of dawn, worrying about her first meeting with Voldemort. But now she'd met her father and knew where she stood with him, she was slightly more relaxed. Plus she'd slept better than her first night at the manor now she was sure that she was in the right place and that she was wanted where she was.

By the time Hermione had used the bathroom, a house elf had appeared with a light breakfast for her. To be honest, Hermione still wasn't happy with the idea of being waited on by house elves, but rather selfishly she thought, she wasn't going to press the matter. The truth was, she had more important things to worry about than House Elves and their status in the wizarding world. Besides, all the elves she'd encountered so far at the manor seemed content and in good health.

After breakfast, Hermione left her bedroom, wondering what the day had in store for her. The previous day she'd known that she was going to meet Voldemort, and even though she expected to see him again today, she had no idea what sort of visit it would be. Would it be another chance to talk about the past and get to know each other a bit better, or would all they have time for was dealing with whatever move the Order made next?

Totally caught up in her own thoughts, Hermione paid very little attention to where she was going, and as such she ended up slightly lost. Even though Draco had given her a tour of the manor the previous day, it was still a huge house and Hermione suspected she could spend the entire summer with the Malfoys and still get lost in their vast house. Hoping to find a room she could remember from the previous days tour, Hermione peered into several rooms until finally she stuck her head into what was clearly a bedroom. In fact, given the green and black decorations and a few pictures dotted around she was fairly sure it was Draco's bedroom.

"Hermione," Draco called, suddenly appearing from what Hermione suspected was the en-suite bathroom.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I got lost," Hermione said apologetically.

"You'll get used to the place eventually," Draco replied. "It's a nice day so I was going to go for a fly, do you want to join me?"

"I don't fly," Hermione answered with a shake of her head.

"Why not?" Draco asked, opening a cupboard and pulling out what looked to be a brand new broomstick.

"I just don't like it," Hermione shrugged. "It's unnatural, and quite honestly, rather scary."

"What you need is someone with some serious skills to show you the ropes," Draco said with a smirk. "And of course a decent broomstick. Those pieces of rubbish we had to use in first year would put anyone off flying."

"And I suppose you're just the person to teach me, are you?" Hermione asked with a slight chuckle.

"I am very impressive on a broomstick," Draco boasted. "Trust me, Hermione. By the end of the day, you'll be flying around as though you were born to do it."

"I'm not sure about that," Hermione muttered. "And I'm not really sure about flying myself, but I would like to watch you fly. You can show me how good you are."

"Who am I to say no to a bit of showing off," Draco laughed as the pair left his bedroom.

From Draco's bedroom, which he informed Hermione was actually in his own personal wing of the manor, the pair travelled down towards the main staircase. Approaching from a different angle than they had the previous day, Hermione paused at a railing that overlooked the front hallway. It offered a spectacular view of the entrance hallway, which was actually far larger than Hermione had realised the previous day. In fact now she was slightly more settled, she was realising that the manor was even more stunning and beautiful than she'd ever imagined.

"This is the perfect spot for spying," Draco said with a chuckle, pausing alongside Hermione. "From here you can see everyone who arrives via the front door."

As if on cue a chiming sound echoed around the house and one of the house elves, appeared in the front hallway. Opening the door, the elf stood for a couple of minutes before pulling the door back and allowing the guests into the house. The Minister for Magic was the first person over the threshold, followed by Kingsley, but Hermione was rather taken aback when they were followed into the manor by her parents, Richard and Jean Granger.

"Who are those people with the Minister?" Draco whispered as the elf escorted them towards the main living room.

"The tall wizard with the vibrant bright purple robes is Kingsley Shackelbolt," Hermione said.

"The Auror and secret member of the Order?" Draco checked, and Hermione nodded her head in confirmation. "And who are the other two? They don't look like magical people."

"They're not," Hermione replied, just as Lucius strode through the hall below them and towards the living room. "They're my parents. Or should I say my adoptive parents."

"Oh," Draco muttered. "Do you think they've come to take you home?"

"Dumbledore's likely sent them," Hermione said. "But I'm not going with them," she added forcefully, turning to look at Draco, who could see the passion blazing in her brown eyes. "I'm safe here and here is where I'm going to stay."

"Don't worry, father won't let them take you away," Draco assured her as an elf suddenly appeared at their side and informed Hermione she was needed in the living room. "Come on, I'll walk down with you," he offered.

Grateful for the blond wizard's support, Hermione headed down the stairs with Draco at her side. At the door to the living room, he assured her that everything would be alright, before she took a deep breath and entered the room.

"Hermione," her mother, Jean, cried, rushing over to her daughter and embracing her.

Hermione was rather taken aback by the show of affection as while she knew her parents loved her, they weren't overly affectionate. They rarely hugged, and certainly not in front of people they didn't know.

"Are you okay?" Richard asked, his expression filled with concern.

"I'm perfectly fine," Hermione assured her parents. "Which I told you yesterday, Minister," she added pointedly, glancing over to where Fudge sat in an armchair, Kingsley standing behind him.

"I informed your parents that, but they insisted that we come to see you as you're apparently here without their permission," Fudge replied.

"I'm sorry I couldn't inform you where I was going," Hermione said to her parents as she settled them on the large sofa. Instead of joining them on the safa, even though there was plenty of room, she turned and settled herself on the smaller sofa next to Lucius. "But I'm sure that by the time we're finished here, everyone will agree that I'm in the right place."

"Is this where you tell me what's really going on?" Fudge asked.

"Did you not ask Dumbledore what was going on?" Hermione questioned, even though she already knew through Severus that the headmaster had avoided telling the Ministry the truth, even though he'd been unable to do the same with the Order and they now knew what was going on.

"He claimed not to know what you were talking about," Fudge said. "And I dislike being used as a puppet, Miss Granger. So I suggest you tell us the truth, so we can sort this mess."

"First, I think I should tell you that I wasn't staying at the Weasleys house," Hermione began.

"But that's where we gave you permission to go," Richard argued. "Molly and Arthur assured us that they would take care of you over the summer."

"They were, just not at The Burrow," Hermione replied. "Instead I was staying at the headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix." From Fudge's annoyed scowl, Hermione could tell he'd heard of the group and knew exactly who and what they were. "And before you ask Minister, I can't give you an address because it was protected by a Fidelius charm. Dumbledore is the only one who can give out the address, either verbally or writing it down."

"I understand how the charm works," Fudge said quietly. "So it was this place you left from two days ago?"

"It was," Hermione confirmed with a nod of her head. "And now I'm going to tell you why. I was in the library, unbeknown to me hidden from view of the door, when Molly and Sirius entered the room."

"Sirius? Sirius Black?" Fudge interrupted. "Are you saying you've been in contact with a wanted felon who mysteriously escaped from Azkaban, Miss Granger?"

"A criminal?" Jean gasped, clinging onto her husband. "My God, Richard, she could have been in serious trouble."

"Sirius is at headquarters," Hermione confirmed.

"I'm sure you can take into account Minister that Miss Granger is an under-age witch, staying with people she thought she could trust," Lucius said in a low voice. "She was assured by people she trusted that Black was innocent of the charges against him. She was in no position to turn him into the Ministry, even if she'd wanted to. As she's already explained, it's not like she can give you the address of the Order. All she could have really told you is that he's definitely in the country, which thanks to her, you now know."

"I suppose we can overlook the matter just this once," Fudge conceded with a slight sigh. "But Miss Granger, in future you let the Ministry know if you're in the presence of a wanted criminal."

"I will do, Minister," Hermione said softly. "Do you want me to carry on with what happened before I left the Order?"

"Yes please," Fudge said with a nod of his head.

"As I was saying, I was in the library when Molly and Sirius came in. They were talking about me, so I kept quiet to hear what they were saying. Molly was telling Sirius that I'm not who everyone thinks I am. She told him that I was the daughter of The Dark Lord."

"Impossible," Fudge gasped as Hermione's parents exchanged guilty looks, leaving Hermione to wonder just how much they knew about her past.

"They seemed sure enough," Hermione said with a slight shrug. "They were also pretty clear on the fact that they, along with Dumbledore and other people in the Order, had kidnapped me as a child. Sirius wasn't happy that I was in their lives, so he and Molly planned to get rid of me."

"How?" Jean demanded on a harsh sob. "How they were going to do that?"

"They talked about me having an accident of some sort," Hermione answered. "Their meaning was pretty clear. They were going to kill me."

"Minister Fudge, I want these people arrested immediately," Richard exploded, his face turning red with anger. "My daughter could have been killed if she hadn't been lucky enough to overhear this conversation."

"Or lucky enough to get away," Fudge mused. "And how did you do that, Miss Granger? How did you go from this hidden headquarters to Malfoy Manor? Dumbledore was adamant yesterday that you're not friends with Lucius's son."

"Professor Snape helped me," Hermione replied. "I didn't know who I could trust in the Order, but I hoped Professor Snape would at least be able to tell me if I was The Dark Lord's daughter. He couldn't really help me, but he knew someone..." trailing off, Hermione turned to Lucius in panic, worried that she'd dropped him in it and landed him in trouble.

"Severus knew I could help him," Lucius finished, flashing Hermione a quick reassuring smile. "As you are aware, Cornelius, I have a past with The Dark Lord. Despite the circumstances of my loyalties towards him, I did once know a lot about his life. I knew enough to know that he'd once had a daughter – Hope, who had died at St Mungo's when she was just a baby. A few tests revealed that Hermione here is indeed Hope. I'm sure she can provide you with some DNA and the Ministry can run their own tests to confirm this."

"We can," Fudge replied, sounding slightly dazed and disbelieving. "But I also suppose there's an easier way to solve this problem," he added, turning to the Grangers. "Mr and Mrs Granger, do you have anything to add to this story?"

"Please tell me the truth," Hermione pleaded, getting to her feet and crossing to join her parents on the large sofa. "I won't be mad at you, I just need to know the truth."

"I can't tell you who your father is," Richard replied softly. "But I can confirm you're not our biological daughter. And I know, we haven't always shown you how much we love you, but we do, Hermione. You mean the world to us, and we couldn't love you more if you were our flesh and blood."

"I've always known you've loved me," Hermione informed her parents. "But you can prove it by telling us the truth. All of it."

"It actually starts with my father," Richard explained. "He's a squib. He left the wizarding world once he was old enough to do so, and his only contact with the magical community was an old friend who'd he'd grown up living near to. Over the years, I'd met my father's friend a few times and I knew bits and pieces about the wizarding world, but I wasn't really too curious as I didn't have magic."

"This friend of your father's, was it Albus Dumbledore?" Lucius asked.

"It was," Richard confirmed with a nod. "I hadn't actually seen Dumbledore for years when out of the blue my father asked if Jean and I could do him a favour. We met with Dumbledore at my father's house and he explained that there was a child in his world that was in danger. He must have known from my father and Jean and I couldn't have children, and he begged us to take the baby and raise her as our own."

"He promised us it was for the best," Jean whispered. "He said it was a matter of life and death, and without us an innocent baby would suffer. What else were we supposed to do, Hermione? We couldn't let a baby suffer, especially as we wanted one so badly."

"It's not your fault, Mum," Hermione assured her mother, taking hold of her hand. "You had no reason not to believe Dumbledore. In your shoes, most people would have done the same thing and taken me in."

"Is that what happened?" Fudge asked. "You agreed to take the baby, and Dumbledore just handed her over?"

"It was about a week later when he brought us Hermione," Richard said. "He also took care of all the paperwork, making it all legal. All he asked was that we kept her in our world and never told her about the wizarding world."

"So what happened?" Hermione asked with a frown. "Sirius mentioned that I wasn't supposed to be in the wizarding world. Why did Dumbledore snatch me, hide me in the muggle world, and then allow me to go to Hogwarts?"

"It was because your magic became too hard to control," Jean answered. "When we first took you in, you didn't settle at all. Of course we thought it was because you'd been neglected, or even abused, before you came to us. I now know it was because you'd been stolen from your parents. Anyway, whenever you got upset something in the house tended to break. We had light bulbs popping, glasses shattering, mirrors cracking."

"We contacted Dumbledore and he promised us that it was just your magic accidentally manifesting itself, but it would settle down as you settled in with us and grew up," Richard continued.

"But it didn't," Hermione whispered as memories of her childhood flitted through her mind.

She recalled the time a girl at school had called her an ugly frizzy haired bookworm, and then the girls chair leg had snapped, sending her falling to the floor. Then there was the time she didn't want to go and see her grandparents up in Scotland, and the car had mysteriously gotten a puncture. There was also dozens of other incidents, and Hermione wondered why she hadn't put the pieces together sooner. Because she could now clearly see that every time she'd gotten angry or upset before she started Hogwarts that something around her broke.

"It didn't," Richard confirmed. "Every time you were angry or upset, something ended up broken. By the time you were eight, Dumbledore had already decided that the only way forward was to have you learn to accept and control your magic. He promised us that the danger you'd been in as a baby had been dealt with, and that you would be safe at Hogwarts. He'd also promised us that you would be safe with the Weasleys, which is why we've always been so willing to let you spend so much time with them."

"You weren't to know," Hermione assured her parents as she hugged them both. "But now do you see why I have to stay here? Lucius can make sure I'm safe, and that no-one can hurt me."

"I can," Lucius confirmed to the muggle couple. "Your daughter could not be in a safer place than the manor."

"I can see that," Richard said with a nod. "But what about Dumbledore and this Order of his? Are they going to get away with what they've done to Hermione, both when she was a baby and now?"

"I do expect there will be an investigation," Lucius said, turning his piercing gaze on Fudge. "The Ministry won't let these allegations go without investigation, will they, Cornelius?"

"Of course not," Fudge spluttered. "I'll get right onto it."

"If you need to speak to Hermione, you know where to find her," Lucius said as he rose to his feet, indicating the meeting was over. "Mr and Mrs Granger, if you would like, you could stay for lunch and spend some time with your daughter."

"That would be very nice, thank you," Richard said.

"I'll show you out Minister," Lucius offered, gesturing to the doorway and all but pushing Fudge and Kingsley out of the front room.

Mouthing her thanks to Lucius, Hermione turned back to her parents. Since she didn't know what was going to happen next, she didn't know when she would next see her mother and father again, so she was going to make the most of the time they had. Despite everything, Richard and Jean had raised her and even though they weren't close and they hadn't always shown how much they cared, Hermione still loved her parents and she knew that they loved her.


	13. Chapter 13

What Dumbledore had really wanted was to accompany the Minister and the Grangers to Malfoy Manor. Given the bombshell that Severus had dropped the previous evening, he would have preferred to remain on hand in case Hermione said anything problematic. However, Fudge had been adamant that he wasn't needed at the manor and he'd downright refused to allow him to attend the meeting. So instead Dumbledore was stuck at the Ministry, fearing the worst and preparing himself for the trouble that might be heading his way.

What Dumbledore didn't expect was for Kingsley and Fudge to return to the Ministry without the Grangers. Even without Fudge saying a word, Dumbledore knew that Hermione had said more than he would have liked her to. Following the Minister into his office, after Kingsley had been dismissed, he hid his nerves and got ready to deliver the performance of a lifetime as he tried to keep himself and several other people out of trouble.

"Is it too much to hope that the Grangers have taken their daughter home?" Dumbledore asked as Fudge slammed the door to his office behind the headmaster.

"Their daughter is still at Malfoy Manor," Fudge spat. "Or should I say Hope is at Malfoy Manor."

"Hope?" Dumbledore questioned, playing dumb.

"Don't lie to me, Albus," Fudge exploded, slamming his hand onto his desk and glaring at the headmaster. "We've been friends a long time, and I've always trusted you."

"Yet there are times you refuse to heed my advice," Dumbledore countered. "You still trust Lucius Malfoy, even though you know he was a Death Eater."

"The Ministry accepted he was forced into serving You-Know-Who," Fudge replied icily.

"But that can't be proved, can it? Anyone can say they've been under the influence of the Imperius curse. At the end of the day, Lucius was believed due to his money and influence in our world. No-one was quite brave enough to upset the Malfoys."

"This isn't about the Malfoys," Fudge said as he slid into his seat. "It's about Hermione Granger. Who is she Albus?"

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked, also settling himself into a chair.

"She told me a story this morning," Fudge said. "A story where she is the daughter of You-Know-Who. She says she was kidnapped as a child and hidden in the muggle world. Even her parents claim that you gave her to them and warned them that she was in danger."

"How preposterous," Dumbledore snorted. "I never met Mr and Mrs Granger until their daughter started Hogwarts. In fact, aside from when I contacted them this morning, I've never had a proper conversation with them."

"That's not the story they're telling," Fudge replied. "Mr Granger is claiming his father is a squib and was friends with you as youngsters."

"I don't know any Grangers," Dumbledore answered with a shrug. "Nor have I ever known any squibs by that name."

"So you're saying that the Grangers are lying?" Fudge snorted.

"I don't know why, but it's all I can think of."

"And that story of Hermione being You-Know-Who's daughter?"

"I wasn't aware he had a daughter," Dumbledore lied. "If of course, it's even true. I can't believe I'm saying this about a girl who seemed so lovely and honest, but Miss Granger is clearly lying."

"And just why would she do that?" Fudge questioned with an arched eyebrow. "What could she possibly have to gain by lying about her heritage?"

"I know I said that she wasn't friends with Draco Malfoy, but I now have reason to believe they've been secretly working against Harry Potter for years," Dumbledore said gravely. "As you know my Potions Professor, Severus Snape, was once a Death Eater."

"A one you personally vouched for as I recall," Fudge interrupted. "You were what kept him out of Azkaban, Albus."

"I know, and I bitterly regret that now I know the truth about him," Dumbledore said with a sigh.

"And what is the truth?"

"Last night he admitted to helping Hermione leave the Weasleys," Dumbledore explained, the lies coming incredibly natural to him as he fought for survival. "He confessed to continuing to practice the Dark Arts alongside Lucius Malfoy. He informed me that Hermione became friendly with Draco in her first year, and he's been teaching them both dark magic in his spare time. He admitted to working against Harry and myself, with the aim of proving themselves to Voldemort. Now Voldemort's back, Severus wanted to embrace his true self, and he didn't want to leave Hermione all alone, so he took her to the manor so she could also show her true colours."

"Interesting," Fudge muttered, his eyes never leaving Dumbledore. After so many years of friendship he thought he would have been able to tell if the headmaster was lying, but the truth was, he had no idea what to believe.

"You think I'm lying?" Dumbledore asked, sounding hurt by the suggestion.

"I think I have two very different stories here," Fudge replied. "Miss Granger is spinning me a tale of being stolen as an infant and raised away from her real family. She also claims that you've reformed the Order, and that Sirius Black is a part of it."

"Now there, she is telling the truth," Dumbledore admitted. "You always knew I was going to reform the Order, Cornelius. And my offer to you still stands, when you're ready to believe Voldemort is back, we are willing to help you."

"And Black?" Fudge demanded. "He's a wanted criminal, Albus."

"He didn't commit those crimes, Cornelius," Dumbledore argued. "He was framed."

"Framed or not, he escaped from Azkaban and went on the run," Fudge argued. "As a moral member of our community, it was your duty to inform of the Ministry of his return to the country. For Merlin's sake man, you're part of the Wizengamot. You cannot be harbouring criminals."

"I won't give him up, Cornelius," Dumbledore said softly.

"Then don't be surprised when I redouble the Aurors charged with tracking him down and bringing him to justice, and I warn you Albus, if we can prove you helped harbour a criminal, you will be charged. As will anyone else found to be involved," Fudge warned. "I will also be conducting an investigation into the claims Miss Granger has made against you and your Order. Right now, I have no idea who to believe, but I will get to the truth, Albus. You can count on that."

"I do, Cornelius," Dumbledore replied. "I will help in any way I can, and I'm sure I can say the same for anyone else you wish to talk to. I will not stand back as my good name is dragged through the mud. This is all a ploy to discredit me, and I won't take it lying down. I trust you to find the truth, Cornelius, and clear my name."

"If it deserves to be cleared," Fudge retorted.

"Trust me, it does," Dumbledore said as he rose to his feet. "If that's all for now, I have to go and help Harry prepare for his hearing. I take it we're going ahead as planned next week."

"Yes, that won't be affected by the new investigation I'll be setting up," Fudge replied. "You are telling the truth, aren't you Albus?" he asked in a low whisper, his despair clear for the headmaster to hear.

"You have my word that I've been honest with you, Cornelius," Dumbledore swore, sounding sincere even though he was lying through his teeth. "Truth be told, If I'd known what I know now about Miss Granger, I never would have come to you."

"Then why bring the Grangers to me this morning?" Fudge asked.

"I'd already been in touch with them before Severus's revelations yesterday, and I had no idea they were also involved. I guess I hoped that if we got Hermione away from the Malfoys, we could still get through to her. I hate to think of that pure girl being corrupted by the darkness."

Feigning a sad sigh at Hermione's plight, Dumbledore left the Minister's office as quickly as he could. Travelling through the Ministry at top speed, he jumped into the first available floo and headed home. Once at home he allowed events of the morning sink in, and he slumped down into his armchair as he thought of all he had to do. He'd come up with a believable lie to save their skins, now all he had to do was make sure it stood up under scrutiny. And for that he would need the help of several members of the Order. Luckily for him the people he was relying on for help, hadn't walked out on him, and he was sure he could convince them to help him. After all, if they didn't a whole host of the Order could be in trouble, and Dumbledore wasn't going to let anyone go to Azkaban for trying to do the right thing. It was sad that Hermione couldn't see that they'd just been trying to save her from a terrible fate, but she'd picked that fate for herself now, and as of this moment, Dumbledore viewed her as just another enemy. She was trying to bring him down, but it would be a cold day in hell before he let the daughter of Lord Voldemort bring about his damnation.

* * *

After spending some time with her parents, Hermione found herself exploring the grounds of the manor with Draco in the late afternoon. He'd actually gone flying that morning while she'd been busy, but there was still plenty to do on foot as the manor grounds were more like a large public park than a residential garden. The grounds nearest the manor were designed like a garden, with lush grass and beautiful flower beds. They then led into a part of the garden dedicated to various flowers, including a stunning rose garden complete with maze. Then came the greenhouses, where fresh fruit and vegetables were grown, then there was the pond which housed ducks and swans. Nearby were the peacock enclosures, for the peacocks that actually roamed free around the grounds. And finally there was a stable, housing a few horses, and several acres of untouched ground for riding.

"This is amazing," Hermione declared when they were in the stables, where she was petting Draco's black horse, Loki.

"The horses or the entire grounds?" Draco asked.

"Everything," Hermione replied. "You're so lucky to have grown up here. I'm surprise you ever wanted to leave to go to Hogwarts."

"The manor is great and I love it, but Hogwarts is where I get to spend time with my friends," Draco replied with a shrug. "I know that can visit when they want, but it's not the same as having them there all the time."

"It's nice to have your friends around," Hermione whispered, thinking of her own friends and wondering what would happen next time she saw them. So far she hadn't even considered what would happen in September when it was time to go back to Hogwarts, but she knew it wouldn't be easy now the truth was out.

"Sorry," Draco apologised with a wince, realising he'd put his foot in it. It was alright for him talking about his friends, but there was a good chance that Hermione had lost her friends through no fault of her own.

"It's not your fault," Hermione said with a smile as they said goodbye to Loki and headed back out into the afternoon sun. "I chose to leave the Order."

"You chose to save your life," Draco argued. "If you hadn't left, you would have been on borrowed time. Sooner or later Black and Mother Weasel would have gotten to you."

Hermione didn't like to think of what would have happened if she hadn't been lucky enough to have overheard the conversation between Molly and Sirius, nor did she like to think of the danger she'd narrowly escaped from, so she swiftly changed the subject, asking Draco about the peacocks that were swaggering about beside the pond.

Leading Hermione over to the pond, Draco pointed out the different birds, although he warned Hermione to be careful as they tended to peck anyone who wasn't Lucius. Draco was regaling Hermione with stories of his adventures with the peacocks over the years, when something white on the horizon caught her eye. As the white figure got closer, Hermione gasped as she recognised it.

"Hedwig," she gasped as the owl took shape in the sky above them.

"Isn't that Potter's bird?" Draco asked in surprise when the bird swept down and landed on Hermione's hand, which she'd held out to her.

"It is," Hermione replied, stroking Hedwig's soft feathers. "Hello, Hedwig. I hope you're taking care of Harry."

"She's got a letter," Draco said, pointing to the letter attached to the bird's leg. He didn't try to untie it as he knew the letter wasn't for him, and most good post owls were territorial over delivering letters to the right person.

"It's from Harry," Hermione whispered, removing the letter as Hedwig snuggled up to her cheek. Pressing a soft kiss to the owl's head, Hermione raised her arm and Hedwig soared into the sky and with a soft call, flew off into the distance.

"Why do you think Potter's writing to you?" Draco asked suspiciously as Hermione watched her friend's bird disappear.

"He's my friend," Hermione replied in a quiet voice. "Or at least I hope he still is."

"Do you really think that's possible?" Draco asked softly. "You're the daughter of the wizard who killed his parents. Do you think he could ever accept that?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted, knowing how much Harry still grieved for his lost parents and how hard it would be for him to accept her knowing who she was. "But it's not like I ever lied to him. I didn't know who I was. I didn't fake our friendship. We were genuinely friends, and I hope he can remember that."

"There's only one way to find out," Draco said. "Open the letter, Hermione."

"What if he hates me?" Hermione questioned in a whisper.

"Then he was never a true friend," Draco replied. "As you said, you've never lied to him. You're the one whose being lied to and manipulated their entire life. If anyone should be allowed to hate, it's you. But no-one should hate you just for who your father is."

"Have you ever met Ron?" Hermione snorted. "And are you forgetting that he hated you based on your name?"

"I wasn't really talking about Weasley," Draco said with a shrug. "In my opinion he's a waste of oxygen, and being hated by him really doesn't matter. Even though you were his friend, I can't see him accepting you. But Potter might. If he hasn't allowed himself to be manipulated again. After all, he liked me until he got friendly with Weasley and had the anti-Slytherin poison dripped into his ear."

"When did Harry like you?" Hermione asked, all too happy to talk about Draco and put off reading a letter that could potentially break her heart.

"We met in Diagon Alley before first year," Draco supplied. "I actually didn't know who he was at the time, but we chatted and seemed to get along just fine. I actually thought we could be friends, but the Weasel saw to that."

"To be fair you didn't help yourself by putting Ron down," Hermione said, recalling the offer of friendship Draco had made to Harry just before the sorting.

"Maybe, but Potter's mind was already made up," Draco shrugged. "Weasley had told him all Slytherins were evil, and he was only to glad to believe it. It never occurred to him that it wasn't easy for an eleven year old to offer the hand of friendship in front of everyone. But it's not like he's writing to apologise and accept my offer now, so why don't you open the letter and find out what he has to say for himself."

"Here goes," Hermione muttered, and with a deep breath she faced her fears and tore into the letter from her best friend.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N - I just want to thank people for reading, and for supporting this story. I love writing a dark Hermione, so I'm so thrilled that my dark stories always get so much love and support. In this chapter, the bold italic writing at the beginning is the letter from Harry.**

* * *

 _ **Hermione,**_

 _ **I just needed you to know that I know everything, and it doesn't change anything. You're still my best friend and I still love you. I arrived from my Aunt and Uncle's yesterday, and I was told everything – what had happened to you as a baby, and what had happened over the summer. I want you to know that I am so sorry for everything that you've been through, and I want to let you know that I don't agree with anything that's been done to you. Sadly, I can't say the same for Ron and he hates you for who your father is. But I don't, I could never hate you Hermione.**_

 _ **I wasn't sure if you knew exactly what had happened to you as a baby, and even though I'm sure there's things I haven't been told, I thought I could tell you what I was told. Apparently back during the first war the Order heard lots of rumours about Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and they investigated them all to find out if they were true. One of the rumours was about the fact he had a wife and they were expecting a baby. When they find out the rumours were true, Sirius befriended the witch they'd hired as your nanny and got her on side. She informed them when you were born, and she helped them fake an illness when your parents were out of the country, so that they could take you from St Mungo's.**_

 _ **Personally, I think the whole idea is evil, and it doesn't matter whose child you were, they had no right to kidnap you. I would like to say that they can now see the error of their ways, but to be honest the only person who seems repentant is Remus. Even Molly and Sirius aren't sorry for what they planned to do to you.**_

 _ **Out of everything I learnt, that was the biggest shock. I can't believe Molly and Sirius thought it was okay to plot to kill you. I am so relieved you overheard their plan and got away before they did something to you. I'm only sorry that I wasn't there to help you. Because, I would have helped you, Hermione. I would never have stood back and let them hurt you, and I will make sure that they now don't get the chance.**_

 _ **I'm sort of stuck with the Order because I have nowhere else to go, I don't know the way back to my Aunt and Uncle's, and I need the Order to ensure that I'm not kicked out of Hogwarts. But I want you to know that I don't support anything they're doing. I've lost all respect for them, or at least those involved with your kidnapping as there are people here who didn't know anything about it,**_ _ **and they're just as appalled as I am**_ _ **.**_

 _ **I don't know when, or even if I'll see you again, but I needed to tell you that you will always be the sister I never had. I will never forget the times you saved my life, and the unwavering support you've given me. I love you, Hermione. Keep yourself safe and I will do everything I can to keep the Order away from you. Thank Professor Snape from me, I may not like him, but I'm so grateful that he saved you. I'm also grateful for the Malfoys for taking you in, and even though I never thought I would say this, I know they will keep you safe, Hermione. I'm sure your father will as well, and even though I can't bring myself to say anything nice about him, I am pleased that you've found each other.**_

 _ **Your loving best friend, Harry. xxx.**_

Gently, Hermione placed Harry's letter down on the desk in the room she was staying in. She'd read it dozens of times since she'd received it the previous afternoon, and she could now recite it word for word. Still, she kept reading it as it meant a lot to her that Harry didn't hate her. She wasn't at all surprised to hear that Ron did hate her, but it meant so much to her that not only did Harry not hate her, but he could see how badly she'd been treated. She just wished he wasn't now stuck with a bunch of people who had proved untrustworthy, and even dangerous.

"Maybe he doesn't have to be," she muttered to herself.

So far Draco was the only one who knew about her letter from Harry. Obviously he'd been with her when she'd received it, and she'd told him the basics of what it contained. However, he'd been the perfect friend and had respected her privacy by not mentioning the letter to anyone else. That meant that no-one else knew of the letter, including her father who had joined them for dinner the previous evening. So maybe if she showed Voldemort the letter, he could be persuaded that Harry could be saved from the Order and kept safe with them. Although, that did also rely on her convincing him that Harry wasn't his enemy and killing him wasn't going to achieve anything.

"I'm going to try, Harry," Hermione whispered to the empty room as she picked up the letter from her best friend and marched resolutely out of the bedroom.

Paying closer attention to her surroundings then she had the previous day, Hermione found herself on the ground floor of the manor without too much problem. She then had the problem of finding either Lucius or Narcissa and asking for their help in contacting her father. So far Lucius had been around every day, but Hermione had always gotten the impression from Draco that his father ran a business of some sort, meaning there was no guarantee that he was even at the manor.

Fortunately for Hermione, luck was on her side and when she found Narcissa, she was informed that Lucius was indeed at the manor. According to Narcissa, her husband would be working at home for the foreseeable future as they weren't sure when to next expect a visit from the Ministry.

"Do you think I'll be able to talk to my father?" Hermione asked.

"Now?" Narcissa checked.

"As soon as possible," Hermione replied.

"Let's go and see Lucius, and I'm sure he can get in touch with The Dark Lord," Narcissa offered with a warm smile.

Lucius was busy working in his office, but when his wife appeared with Hermione asking to speak to her father, he dropped everything and summoned The Dark Lord. Hermione had expected it to take a while for her father to arrive, but she'd barely sat down when the floo network lit up and Voldemort alighted from the flames.

"What's wrong?" he demanded breathlessly, his red eyes darting from Lucius to Hermione. "Is it the Ministry? Are they going to cause problems?"

"We haven't heard anything from the Ministry," Lucius assured Voldemort. "To be honest, I don't expect to hear from them for a few days. It's going to take time for them to start an investigation and find that Dumbledore isn't the man he pretends to be."

"I was the one who wanted to talk to you," Hermione said. "Sorry for panicking you."

"I just worry that I'm going to lose you again," Voldemort admitted in a small voice as he sat down next to Hermione. "Even now, I can't quite believe that you're back."

"Narcissa and I will leave you too it," Lucius said as he and his wife headed for the door.

"You can stay," Hermione offered. "After everything the pair of you have done for me, I don't have anything to hide from you."

Accepting the offer to stay and find out what was on Hermione's mind, Lucius and Narcissa grabbed some chairs and placed them so they they were sitting opposite Voldemort and his daughter. Once everyone was settled, Hermione pulled Harry's letter from her pocket and handing it over to Voldemort, she explained that it had arrived the previous day.

Hermione saw Voldemort's eyes dart to the sender of the letter before he returned and read it properly. As he read, she could see the surprise on his face, and once he was finished he asked for permission to hand it over to Lucius. Once Lucius and Narcissa had also read the letter, it was returned to Hermione, who carefully put it back in her pocket.

"Well?" Hermione asked, looking around at the three adults. "What do you think?"

"What am I supposed to think?" Voldemort asked with a frown. His initial attention had been drawn to the information about Hermione's nanny, and his mind was already going over plans to find her and make her pay for her part in the scheme to kidnap his daughter, however he knew that Hope's focus would be on the other parts of the letter.

"Do you not think it's pretty amazing that Harry is still supporting me, even though he knows I'm the daughter of the wizard who killed his parents and has tried to kill him on numerous times?" Hermione questioned, not bothering to sugar coat Voldemort's past actions, even though it was something they'd yet to deal with.

"It is surprising," Voldemort admitted, showing no remorse for his past actions. "If of course it's true."

"You think Harry is lying to me," Hermione gasped.

"It's something you're going to have to consider," Lucius said gently, his mind on the same track as Voldemort's. "Don't forget that yesterday we blew Dumbledore's plans to get you back out of the water. We also set the Ministry onto the truth. The Order are likely very desperate, and maybe they think Potter is the key to getting you back with them. After all, if they managed to get hold of you again, they could force you to recant your statement to the Ministry."

"Harry wouldn't do that to me," Hermione insisted fiercely. "You saw his letter, he's disgusted with everything the Order have done."

"So he says," Voldemort replied quietly. "And even if this is quite true at the moment, who's to say it's going to stay that way. Don't forget these are people who consider Potter family. They will go to any lengths to get him back onside. Even if he means every word today, there's no guarantee he will in a few weeks time."

"He will if we get him away from the Order," Hermione argued. "I know you think you have to kill him in order to win, but it doesn't have to be like that. You don't have to fight each other, not now you've got something in common. You both love me, and if you carry on as enemies one of you is going to break my heart by killing the other one."

"So what do you suggest, that we bring Potter to the manor and all become one big happy family?" Voldemort scoffed with an inelegant snort.

"I'm not stupid, I know the best I can ever hope for is tolerance between you and Harry," Hermione retorted. "But I will do everything I can to make that happen. I've just found you, I don't want to lose you again. But I don't want to lose Harry."

"Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement about Potter," Voldemort conceded with a frown, even though right at this moment he couldn't think of what sort of agreement would suit both himself and his daughter. "But your plan to take him from the Order is a no go."

"Why?" Hermione asked with a pout.

"Several reasons," Voldemort replied with a chuckle. "First of all, how would we get hold of him? Severus is no longer welcome with the Order, and we have no other connections we can use. Secondly, and most importantly, they could trace you thanks to the fact you're under-age, so they can do the same with Potter. You're still here because the Grangers agreed once they'd heard the truth, and even if they hadn't, we have DNA proof that you're my daughter. If I had to, I would have made my presence known and insisted you stay with Lucius and Narcissa. We can't do that with Potter, we're no relations of his and we're certainly not his guardians. Lucius would be arrested for kidnapping, and you don't want that, do you?"

"No," Hermione replied with a sigh as she saw all her hopes of being reunited with Harry go out of the window. "But I'm worried about Harry. I know you said that the Order will try and get him back onside, but what if they can't? What if Harry can't forgive them for what they've done to me? He'd be danger to them."

"Even if they can't get him back onside, they would never do anything to him," Lucius said confidently. "Don't forget that he's their saviour. None of them believe they can defeat your father without him. No matter what he thinks of them, the Order will look after Potter."

"Lucius is right," Voldemort said. "Potter is safe with the Order. No matter what dramas are going on, they won't turn on him."

"But if he doesn't accept what they've done, he's going to be so alone," Hermione whispered sadly. She was thrilled that Harry had supported her and could see the evil within the Order, but it broke her heart to think of how he could end up isolated if he continued to be loyal to her. "Ron already hates me, and if Harry refuses to agree with him, he'll walk away. Harry will lose both of his best friends."

"But you didn't walk away from him," Narcissa gently pointed out. "He knows why you left, and if his letter is truthful, he understands and supports you. If the worst does happen and he ends up alone, it's not your fault."

"It feels like it," Hermione whispered. "I started all of this. None of this would be happening if I hadn't overheard Sirius and Molly talking."

"If you hadn't overheard them talking, you would be walking around with a target on your back," Voldemort said, swallowing hard to hide the anguish he felt at the thought of someone hurting his daughter. It had been hard enough to deal with her dying when he thought it was natural causes and no-one was to blame, but the thought of someone physically hurting his daughter made his blood boil. "You didn't start this, Hope. Dumbledore and his Order started this the second they kidnapped you as a baby. And I'm sorry we can't do anything about Potter, but our hands are tied. At least you know he's okay."

"I guess," Hermione said with a sigh. "And I'll see him myself once we go back to school."

"Actually that remains to be seen," Voldemort said.

"What remains to be seen? If I see Harry, or if I go back to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. Truthfully she knew that it wasn't going to be as simple as just going back to school as though nothing had happened, but she hated to think of never going back to Hogwarts.

"Both, but mainly going back to Hogwarts," Voldemort replied. "Before we make any decisions, let's wait and see what the Ministry dig up on Dumbledore and his Order. If everything goes out way, you'll be able to go back to school as normal."

"And if it doesn't?" Hermione asked.

"We're discussing contingency plans," Voldemort said. "But don't worry, you and Draco will be included in any decision we have to make."

"Draco?" Hermione frowned. "We're dragging Draco into this?"

"He's involved, Hope," Lucius said softly. "We're all going to stick together, and that includes Draco. But don't worry about something that might never happen. If the Ministry pulls their finger out, they should have enough evidence against Dumbledore to charge him with multiple crimes long before it's time to return to Hogwarts."

Wondering what sort of contingency plans her father and the Malfoys were coming up, Hermione accepted that the conversation about Harry was over. Saying her goodbyes she left the room to send a letter back to Harry, just to let him know that she appreciated the support and that she still loved him as her best friend. She then intended to find Draco and warn him that thanks to her, his return to Hogwarts was in jeopardy.


	15. Chapter 15

A thoroughly annoyed and frustrated Harry got ready for his hearing at the Ministry, wishing that he didn't have to rely on Dumbledore to ensure he wasn't kicked out of Hogwarts. He'd been at Order headquarters for nearly a week, and in Harry's opinion things were going from bad to worse. With each passing day he was hating the Order more and more, but he was very aware that there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't even run away given the fact he was still under-age and they would be able to trace him and get him back within hours if he tried such a thing.

Barely an hour after he'd sent a letter to Hermione, after spending his entire first night at Grimmauld Place perfecting it, Dumbledore had arrived at headquarters with the news that Hermione had told the Ministry the truth. Harry had been elated and hoped that it meant justice would be served, but then Dumbledore had announced his plans to get them out of trouble, which basically meant blackening Hermione's name and trashing her good character.

Harry had hoped that some people would refuse to go along with Dumbledore's scheme, but aside from the Professors, who'd had no part in the original scheme and had all but walked out on the Order, everyone else went along with his ideas to paint Hermione as a villain. Even Remus, who seemed the most repentant, went along with the plan as it would keep them out of Azkaban. It didn't seem to bother anyone but Harry, that by following Dumbledore's plans they were throwing Hermione under the bus and making her into the enemy. In Hermione's shoes, he wouldn't forgive people who had kidnapped her and plotted to kill her, and then painted her as a lair and a practitioner of the Dark Arts all to save their own skins.

Disgusted with the Order's latest plans, Harry had decided to write a second letter to warn Hermione was was going to happen. However, just as he was finishing the letter, Ron had arrived to try and talk to him. Before Harry could do anything, Ron had seen the letter and seeing red that he was writing to Hermione, he'd snatched it and went running to the Order. When Dumbledore discovered that Harry had been planning to warn Hermione what they were planning, he confiscated Hedwig and made sure Harry had no access to any other owls.

Harry had been fuming at the headmaster taking his owl from him, and even Dumbledore's assurances that she would be perfectly fine at Hogwarts and they would be reunited in September did nothing to get rid of Harry's anger. He was also furious with Ron, and between that and his views on Hermione, the pair currently weren't talking. In fact the only Weasleys Harry was speaking to were the twins, who shared his view that Hermione wasn't at fault and she was still the same girl she'd always been. Harry had hoped that Ginny would also take their viewpoint, and while for a short time it looked as though she was wavering over what stance to take, she'd ultimately sided with Ron in declaring Hermione an enemy.

So Harry was still stuck with the Order, only now thanks to Ron he couldn't even write to Hermione. He had secretly received a letter from his best friend the day after he'd sent his, but it was hard not being able to write back and warn her of what was happening. Hermione had seemed so positive in her letter, and she'd expressed the hope that the truth would come out and they could be reunited. Only Harry knew that wasn't going to happen, and even though he didn't know just what was going on with the Ministry's investigation, he knew Dumbledore was still confident that his lies would work and that at the end of the day, Hermione would be painted as the villain.

However, for the moment, Harry didn't really have time to worry about Hermione. It was the day of his hearing at the Ministry, and although everyone assured him that he would be fine and that the verdict went there way, Harry was still nervous. Even though at the moment he would be happy if he never saw any of the Order again, he didn't want to be kicked out of the wizarding world. He was a wizard, and this was the world he belonged in, even if right now he wasn't sure quite where his place was.

"One thing at a time," he muttered to his reflection, trying to channel Hermione and imagine the advice she would give him. "Get through the hearing, and then worry about the future."

Repeating the advice a couple of more times, he straightened the tie Tonks had advised him to wear, and taking a deep breath, he left the bedroom he'd spent most of the previous week in. Making his way down to the kitchen, he found Arthur was waiting to escort him to the Ministry. It had already been decided that Arthur would take him to his hearing, and Dumbledore would meet them there.

"You look smart, Harry," Molly said with a motherly smile, as determined as ever to get Harry to forgive them and move froward.

"And don't worry, everything will be fine," Sirius added, clapping Harry on the shoulder.

Jerking away from Sirius, Harry turned his back on his godfather and focused on Arthur instead. Even though he knew Arthur had been part of the plan to kidnap Hermione as a baby, for which Harry would never forgive him, he had at least disagreed with what Molly and Sirius had planned, and had made it clear that he believed that Hermione was a good person and no threat to any of them. Not that it had ultimately mattered as he was still going to remain silent as Dumbledore blackened her name and ensured that people who didn't know the full story would never again trust Hermione.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked sharply.

"We can when you're ready," Arthur said softly.

"Good luck, Harry," Sirius said, trying again to engage his godson in conversation. "Not that you'll need it. You'll be back free and clear before you know it."

Not bothering to reply, as he had nothing nice to say to Sirius any longer, Harry turned and stalked out of the kitchen. Arthur followed him a couple of minutes later, and together they left Grimmauld Place. From headquarters, Arthur apparated them to a deserted side street somewhere else in London, where he then proceeded to lead them towards a muggle phone box.

"Is now really the time to indulge your love of muggle technology?" Harry asked impatiently as Arthur got into the phone box and pulled Harry in alongside him.

"Watch and learn, Harry," Arthur chuckled as he picked up the phone and dialled a number.

A couple of seconds later a voice from the phone asked for identification and the reason for a visit to the Ministry of Magic. Arthur identified himself, and Harry, and stated Harry's reasons for being at the Ministry. A badge then appeared in the return coin slot, with Harry's name and reason for visiting the Ministry printed in bold letters.

"Put it on," Arthur ordered as the phone box began to shake and slowly descend into the ground.

"It's a lift," Harry declared as they sunk lower into the ground and the busy atrium of the Ministry came into view.

"It's the visitor entrance," Arthur explained as they stepped out of the phone box lift. "A lot of visitors also use the floo or apparition points, but you can still only do that if you're a regular visitor to the Ministry."

"Like Dumbledore," Harry remarked bitterly, spotting the headmaster alighting from a fire further ahead of them.

Hearing the bite in Harry's voice, Arthur merely nodded as he led the way towards the headmaster, who had stopped to wait for them. Dumbledore did try and greet Harry as though nothing was happening, but when Harry gave him a frosty glare, he sighed and shook his head. Harry did think he was going to say something to try and talk him around, but obviously the fact they were around people stopped him.

As Dumbledore began to lead them towards the lifts, Harry wondered if he could somehow take advantage of being in the Ministry to help get the truth about Hermione out. He knew he was stuck with the Order for the foreseeable future, but maybe he could still try to talk to someone and at least let them know that Hermione was going to be set up. Looking around he tried to decide who best to try and talk to, or decide if it was better to just shout out the truth where several people could hear it.

"Don't even think about it," Dumbledore hissed in his ear as they joined the queue for the lifts.

"Why? Scared of people knowing the truth, are you?" Harry countered.

"Do you think they'll believe you?" Dumbledore asked in a low voice. "There's a reason you're having this hearing Harry, and that's because no-one in this Ministry believes you when you say Voldemort is back. But I believe you, I've stood up for you. I've defended you, even at the cost of my own reputation."

"And I should be grateful?" Harry scoffed. "Because of you, I've lost my best friend."

"No, you've lost her because of Sirius and Molly," Dumbledore shot back. "They couldn't just accept she wasn't a danger and leave her alone."

"You mean like you did when she was just a baby?" Harry questioned, amazed that Dumbledore still couldn't see that he was at fault in this whole sorry mess. "Tell me Professor, what sort of a threat did a baby present? Has it ever occurred to you that Hermione might have been Voldemort's salvation? Being a father might have changed him."

"Nothing can change him from the monster he is," Dumbledore snorted.

"And now thanks to you, we'll never know for sure," Harry retorted. "We'll never know what sort of future you took away, not just from Hermione, but all of us. Maybe as a father, he would have thought twice about attacking me. Maybe he wouldn't have attacked at all, and maybe I would have still had my parents. But we'll never know now, will we, Sir?"

With his final barb hopefully having registered with Dumbledore, Harry turned around in time to find the lifts opening its doors. Following Arthur into the golden box, he ignored Dumbledore as he joined them, along with dozens of other Ministry workers. The lift stopped on several floors, before heading down to the Department of Mysteries, where they disembarked.

"Why are they holding the hearing down here?" Arthur asked with a frown as Harry followed him and Dumbledore through the dark corridors.

"The Wizengamot have some other business to discuss, so Harry's hearing is going to be conducted first," Dumbledore replied.

"His hearing is to be in front of the entire Wizengamot?" Arthur asked with a gasp.

"What's a Wizengamot?" Harry questioned.

"It's the group of witches and wizards who represent our justice system," Arthur explained. "Normally a full gathering means a criminal trial of some sort."

"But in this case, it's just a matter of convenience," Dumbledore said. "Don't worry Harry, you'll be in and out in under an hour."

Shrugging his shoulders as though he couldn't care either way, Harry continued to follow Dumbledore and Arthur down the corridor. When they came to a halt outside of what was marked as courtroom three, Dumbledore briefly poked his head into the room and spoke to someone.

"They'll call us when they're ready," he said, taking one of the seats outside of the room and gesturing for Harry and Arthur to do the same.

It was only ten minutes later when a stern wizard poked his head out of the room and ushered Harry inside. Inside the courtroom, Harry was faced with a whole wall of serious looking witches and wizards. The wizard who had escorted him into the room, pointed to a chair in the middle of the room and ordered him to seat down. Harry was just about to settle himself in the chair when he noticed the chains for his arms and legs and he froze at the thought of being chained up.

"We won't be using the chains, Mr Potter," Cornelius Fudge called, from his position at the front of the gathered Wizengamot. "The Ministry is not in the habit of chaining up under-age wizards."

With a slight sigh of relief, Harry sat down on the chair. However, his relief didn't last for long as the questioning about what had happened at the beginning of the summer began. Despite the fact he was under-age, the Wizengamot didn't go easy on Harry, and a plump witch dressed all in pink seemed particularly keen on making Harry trip himself up and confuse matters. However, Harry held his nerve and withstanding the barrage of questions, he explained what happened with quiet confidence. After all, he'd done nothing wrong, unless you counted saving Dudley's life as doing the wrong thing, and even though Harry disliked his cousin, he couldn't say he regretted what he'd done.

Harry's questioning seemed to go on for what seemed like hours, but finally Fudge asked Harry to move from the chair in the middle of the floor and take a seat off to the side of the room.

"Do I have to wait for a verdict now?" Harry dared to ask as he moved seats.

"No, now we heard from our witnesses," Fudge replied. "Let's have our first witness, Mrs Arabella Figg."

Harry was gob-smacked when his muggle neighbour Mrs Figg entered the courtroom, but he was even more blown away when she revealed that she was a squib. When Mrs Figg revealed that she knew Dumbledore and that she kept an eye on Harry for him, Harry felt sick to the stomach. He'd known Mrs Figg his entire life, and he knew that she was aware of what sort of life he'd had with the Dursleys. And that meant that Dumbledore had known of his suffering for years, but had been content to leave him with his so called family because it suited him. With every passing minute, Harry was hating Dumbledore more and more and was fast believing that maybe it was Dumbledore who was the truly dark and evil wizard.

In the end Mrs Figg did little to help Harry's case. In fact she even made things worse when she lied and said she'd seen the Dementors, and then it was pointed out to her that squibs, like muggles, couldn't see the fierce creatures that guarded Azkaban prison. By the time the old woman had finished her testimony and had left the courtroom, Harry was convinced that despite everyone's positivity, he was doomed and would end up kicked out of Hogwarts.

But then Dumbledore swaggered into the courtroom and gave a rousing speech about Harry, Voldemort and the Ministry's duty to do what it could to protect the wider wizarding world. Seeing the headmaster in action, Harry could see why he'd once idolised the man. In fact if it hadn't been for recent events, he knew he would be sitting watching Dumbledore in awe and praising him as his saviour. However, he knew that underneath the act he put on, Dumbledore wasn't to be trusted, and Harry wasn't going to be swayed to his way of thinking just because he'd been gushing in his praise of him.

Unsurprisingly after Dumbledore had spoken so passionately it hadn't taken the Wizengamot long to reach a verdict. Harry was once again back in the chair in the centre of the room when Fudge delivered the verdict. He was cleared of all charges, although he was issued with a warning not to use magic outside of the wizarding world again.

"I won't sir," Harry promised Fudge, aware that the pink toad of a woman sitting next to the Minister was glaring at him as though he was the foulest thing she'd ever set eyes on. "And thank you."

"Run along, Mr Potter," Fudge said with a slight smile. "And consider yourself one very lucky young man."

Nodding his agreement, Harry mumbled a sharp thank you to Dumbledore, before exiting the courtroom and delivering the good news to Arthur. Since Dumbledore was staying at the Ministry, no doubt to aid his plans to ruin Hermione's reputation, Arthur escorted Harry back through the Department of Mysteries and up to the atrium. Harry was still hoping to catch someone's attention in the atrium, despite what Dumbledore had said about no-one believing him, but the atrium was fairly deserted and those people Harry did see were far too busy to pay attention to him. In the end, Arthur ushered him out of the Ministry without him ever having a chance to try and defend Hermione's honour.

As expected, Arthur took his straight back to Grimmauld Place, where the news of the positive outcome to his hearing was greeted by joy all around. Once again Sirius tried to engage Harry on conversation and Molly suggested they had a celebration, but Harry brushed them both off and returned to his bedroom.

Changing into his normal clothes, he threw himself down on the bed and began to turn his thoughts to the future. He'd gotten through his hearing, now he needed to decide on his next move. Because one thing was for sure, he wasn't going to just toe the line and accept what the Order had done, and were going to do, to Hermione. It was time to break free and live his own life, he just needed to work out how the hell he was going to manage to do such a thing.


	16. Chapter 16

Lying on one half of a large throw in the garden area of the manor's grounds, Hermione should have been enjoying the summer sunshine. However, she had other things on her name. Namely, worrying about what was going on at the Ministry. To be honest she'd expected to hear something from the Ministry long before now, but it was nearly two weeks since she'd spoken to the Minister and exposed Dumbledore's secrets. In fact the only time the Ministry had been in touch since then, was a couple of days later when they'd requested samples of Hermione's DNA. They hadn't even returned to ask for an official statement or to get more information from her.

Initially, Lucius and her father hadn't seemed to be concerned by the lack of visible progress from the Ministry, and several times Lucius had insisted that it would take time to see some results. However, Hermione could now see that both wizards, and Severus who'd also been around a lot, were starting to get nervous. Even though they tried not to show their worry and continued to say all the right things, Hermione could see the truth in their eyes. They were every bit as concerned as she was.

Although Hermione wasn't the only one concerned with the outcome the Ministry would reach. Turning her head, Hermione could see Draco, who was lying on the throw next to her, nervously nibbling at his lower lip. He knew that whatever the Ministry decided would have an effect on his life as well, and like the rest of them, he was hoping for the right result.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered, turning over properly and propping herself up on her elbow, facing Draco.

"What for?" Draco asked with a frown, as he mimicked Hermione's pose and propped himself up facing his new friend.

"For all this worry I'm causing," Hermione said. "You should be enjoying your summer, and here you are worrying over if you'll ever get to go back to Hogwarts."

"I wasn't worrying," Draco argued.

"You could have fooled me, you certainly looked worried," Hermione retorted. Before arriving at the manor she would have said that Draco was unreadable, but she'd soon learnt that in the privacy of their own home the Malfoys dropped the stoic expression they used in public and didn't hide what they were thinking or feeling.

"I was just wondering about these contingency plans," Draco admitted. "Do you think they're ever going to tell us what they are?"

"I don't think they're going to tell us anything until we've had some sort of word from the Ministry," Hermione replied. "I think they're all still hoping that Dumbledore will be exposed as a kidnapper and arrested, solving the problem for us. After all, I wouldn't be in much danger if Dumbledore was out of the picture."

"I still reckon they need to get rid of more than Dumbledore to keep you safe," Draco said. "Let's not forget who was threatening your life to begin with. Dumbledore may have kidnapped you as a child, but I don't think he planned on hurting you now."

"Unless I'd done something to upset him," Hermione said. "Do you think he might have turned on me if I'd done something he didn't approve of?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like doing something that made him wonder if I could be tempted by the dark," Hermione said. "What if I'd done something he considered to be dark, and he'd decided that evil ran in my veins and I was a danger after all. Do you think he would have hurt me then?"

"Yes," Draco answered, not needing to even think about his response. "I was right when I said he hadn't planned on hurting you, but I bet he's been keeping a close eye on you. And if you'd done one thing to give him cause for concern, I bet he would have turned on you like a rabid dog and torn you to shreds."

"You paint such a lovely picture, Draco," Hermione muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Just being honest," Draco shrugged. "Besides, you asked."

"So I did," Hermione conceded. "So do you think we're ever going to find out what's going on with the Ministry? Surely they have to have found the truth by now."

"I heard father telling mother that if they didn't hear anything within the next forty eight hours he's going to pay the Minister a visit," Draco confided.

"Really? When was this?"

"Last night," Draco answered with a slight grimace. "I'd gone to the library to change my book, even though it was way past midnight. My parents were already in the room, but they didn't notice me. They were talking about the Ministry's investigation, so I hung around to see if they knew more than they were letting on, and that's when father expressed his impatience and what he was going to do about it."

"What's with the disgusted looking face, it looks like you're sucking a lemon," Hermione said.

"Before I could get back out of the library they started getting frisky, and quite honestly I heard more than I ever needed to know," Draco replied with a shudder, causing Hermione to laugh at his embarrassment.

"Remind me to stay out of the library after dark," Hermione chuckled.

"I'll certainly not be visiting again so late," Draco said. "Honestly, you would think they would have some self control at their age. They could have at least made it to the privacy of their bedroom."

"Maybe they love each other so much they just couldn't resist one another," Hermione suggested.

"More like they're a pair of randy old goats who should know better," Draco grumbled.

"I think it's sweet," Hermione said with a smile. "They're clearly still very much in love after a lot of years together. I hope I find someone like that to spend my life with."

"He'd had to be very brave," Draco said.

"Why? Are you saying I'm a nightmare or something?" Hermione scowled.

"No, you're actually a lot more laid back than you appear once you get to know you," Draco answered. "I was meaning they would have to be brave considering who your father is. I'm sure The Dark Lord would have been protective of you anyway, but considering he lost you for so long, he's going to be really wary of letting anyone get close to you. Your future boyfriend is going to have to be prepared for a grilling of a lifetime once The Dark Lord discovers his interest in you."

"If anyone can't handle my father, then they're not man enough for me," Hermione retorted. "Not that it really matters at the moment, as I'm far too young for a serious boyfriend. First I need to finish school and pass all my exams."

"And then what? Are you going to join your father and his Death Eaters?" Draco asked, genuinely curious about how Hermione saw her future. Even though the pair had spoken a lot since her arrival at the manor, and they were becoming closer every day, they'd yet to really touch on her stance in the war and her plans for the future.

"I've always said I don't agree with what he stands for and I would never fight for him, but I'm beginning to see that the world isn't as black and white as I've always seen it," Hermione admitted. "All I can say right now, is never say never. I've already learnt this summer that things aren't always what they seem, and people you trust can betray you in the worst possible way."

"Wise words," Draco remarked, but before he could say anything else one of the house elves appeared at their side.

"Master Draco and Mistress Hope, Master Lucius wishes to see you both," the elf said, informing them that Lucius was in his study before vanishing into thin air.

"Is this good or bad?" Hermione asked warily as the two teenagers got to their feet.

"We'll soon find out," Draco replied, leading the way back towards the manor.

The second they entered Lucius's study, they both knew the news wasn't good. Lucius was standing beside the window, a scowl on his handsome features, Severus and Narcissa were sitting in chairs in front of Lucius's desk, both looking sombre, and Voldemort was pacing in front of the fire, muttering expletives under his breath.

"What is it? What's happened?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing good," Lucius replied with a sigh as he turned away from the window and gestured for the two teenagers to sit down.

Hermione and Draco obediently sat in the two vacant chairs in-between Severus and Narcissa. Lucius then took his chair behind his desk, but Voldemort continued to pace and mutter to herself.

"My Lord," Lucius said softly, sounding a bit wary of interrupting the dark wizard in what was obviously a bad mood.

"Father," Hermione called when Voldemort didn't respond to Lucius.

Instantly Voldemort froze, before slowly turning his head towards his daughter. "You called me father," he whispered.

"It is who you are," Hermione replied. The truth was, she'd been thinking of Voldemort as her father for days now, and had in fact referred to him as such to other people, but it was the first time she'd addressed Voldemort in such a way.

"It is," Voldemort said vehemently. "Despite what anyone says, I know the truth. I know that you are my Hope. We all know the truth."

"Yes we do," Hermione said slowly, sharing a worried look with Draco. Clearly something had happened, and her gut instinct told her that she wasn't going to like it.

"There's something going on, isn't there?" Draco asked quietly, looking around at the four adults. He'd now met Voldemort several times, and while the dark wizard still scared him at times, he knew he'd probably seen more of his human side than anyone who wasn't in his father's study, and he knew there was more to The Dark Lord than met the eye.

"There is," Voldemort replied, slumping into the last available chair, beside the fire. "Lucius, you can do the honours. I don't think I can repeat what you've told me without losing my temper again."

"Again?" Hermione asked warily. "What happened?"

"Just a slight incident with a decanter of my finest port," Lucius said with a slight shrug.

"Which I will replace, Lucius," Voldemort promised.

"There's no need, My Lord," Lucius replied with a slight smirk. "Before I contacted you, I threw a full firewhisky bottle at the wall."

"Damn, this is serious," Draco whispered to Hermione. "Father never throws things unless he'd totally and utterly furious."

"Who are you furious with?" Hermione asked. "The Ministry, Dumbledore, or someone else?"

"The Ministry, Dumbledore and ourselves," Lucius admitted.

"Yourselves?" Hermione frowned. "Why are you mad at yourselves?"

"For underestimating our enemy," Voldemort whispered. "The greatest mistake a man can make is underestimating his enemy. And I'm sorry Hope, but that's exactly what we did with Dumbledore. We thought we had him cornered, but the old git's as slippery as an eel."

"It's my fault," Severus sighed. "I've been around him for years. I should have known by now how easily he manipulates people and gets them onside. I should have been prepared for something like this."

"Something like what? What exactly has happened?" Hermione demanded.

"I was at the Ministry this morning," Lucius began. "I was actually there on other business, but I thought I would check up on the investigation. I hate to inform you of this, but things haven't gone our way."

"How can they not go our way?" Draco asked in confusion. "Hermione told the Ministry the truth. They took her DNA to prove who she was. All they had to do was dig and they would find the truth."

"What they found was lies, which Dumbledore had salted the earth with," Lucius replied in a disgusted voice. "After what we told the Minister, he spoke to Dumbledore and got a very different story. Dumbledore claimed that he'd just learnt that Severus had been loyal to the dark all along, and had been teaching the pair of you dark magic in school. He claimed the three of you had been plotting against Potter and had tried to kill him on numerous times."

"That's preposterous," Hermione snorted. "And even if anyone was foolish enough to believe such a thing, the facts about who I am are out there."

"I'm afraid even they've been tampered with," Lucius said. "He covered his tracks with your death all those years ago, so even though the Ministry could find a record of your birth, they also found a perfect record of your death."

"And in order to keep you safe, I wasn't named on your birth certificate as your father," Voldemort added. "So it's just our word that I'm your father."

"What about DNA?" Hermione asked. "Draco's already mentioned it. They took my DNA to test it against yours."

"A test which apparently came back negative," Lucius snorted. "Dumbledore either managed to switch your sample, or switch whatever sample of The Dark Lord's they were testing it against."

"With his influence at the Ministry, it would have been all too easy," Voldemort said with a sigh. "I just can't believe we didn't think of this. How could we be so stupid as to think he was just going to sit back and let the Ministry make a criminal case against him? We should have predicted he was going to fight back, and he's already proven that he's not above fighting dirty."

"So is that it?" Hermione asked, feeling utterly deflated. "What about Molly and Sirius trying to kill me?"

"The Ministry are once again actively looking for Black, but I think we all know that they're not going to be able to find him," Lucius said. "And as for Molly Weasley, she was apparently interviewed and offered her memories of the early part of the summer, and released without charge. The Ministry can't find any evidence that she plotted to kill you."

"So basically the Order have gotten away scot-free, and I've been branded a dark witch?" Hermione demanded, her temper rising at the slurs that had been cast against herself, Severus and Draco.

"Dumbledore even managed to fabricate some evidence of the Dark Arts that he's claiming Severus taught you at Hogwarts," Lucius said. "As we speak, there's a warrant being drawn up for Severus's arrest."

"No, we can't let that happen," Hermione cried, turning to his father. "If it wasn't for Severus, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be safe. We can't let the Ministry get their hands on him. They'll send him to Azkaban."

"They will," Voldemort nodded. "Which is why Severus is moving into the manor. As we speak the elves are transporting his belongings to one of the guest wings."

"But won't we get into trouble for harbouring a wanted fugitive?" Draco asked. "Not that I don't want to save you, Severus," he added, not wanting the Potions Master to be offended. "Because I think we should protect you."

"I appreciate that," Severus said with a small smile. "Hopefully there won't be any come back on your family, as no-one can actually prove I'm here. Unlike Hermione, who they tracked here with her under-age magic trace, they can't do the same with me."

"And with no evidence of Severus being here, the Ministry can't get a warrant to search the manor," Lucius added. "We're all safe for the time being."

"But not in the long term," Hermione said. "This changes everything, doesn't it? We were relying on the truth coming out, but instead we've been made out to be the ones committing crimes. What happens now?"

"First, we prepare ourselves for the backlash," Voldemort said. "I've underestimated Dumbledore once, I'm not doing it again. In his position, I would make his claims public and discredit us in the eyes of the general public. Ironically enough, this could be the push that gives him all the support he could need to challenge us."

"And you're going to let him do it?" Hermione asked. "Why don't we strike back first? We can get to the papers before him. We can even give our memories to prove our story."

"We can try, but it might already be too late," Lucius mused. "If I hadn't been at the Ministry today, I wouldn't know what was happening. The first we would have known about it was when they turned up to arrest Severus, or Dumbledore's lies were spread all over the papers. I'll see what I can do about getting the truth out there, but if Dumbledore has beaten us to it, there's no point. If he's gotten to the public first, anything we've got to say just looks like lies to defend ourselves. And if he has gotten in there first, even our memories can be claimed to have been altered. The truth is, whoever gets their story out there first has the advantage of being believed by more people."

"So what happens if that is the case?" Hermione questioned. "What if we're too late and the press already have Dumbledore's version of events?"

"We're going to play the long game," Voldemort said decisively. "There is more than one way to win a war and bring the old fool to his knees. Let him have this victory, it'll only be a small one in the grand scheme of things. We're far from beaten, Hope. Believe me, this isn't over. Not by a long way."

* * *

 **A/N - I just want to wish my loyal readers a Happy Easter, and thank you all for reading and reviewing my stories. I will be spending my weekend trying to sort out my upcoming stories. With this story heading towards the end, I need to decide what dark story to publish next. I could publish the second part of this trilogy as it's already finished, but it would mean an extra long wait for part 3 as it's only just been started. Or I could publish the sequel to Goddess of Vengeance - which isn't yet finished but is nearing the end, and post the second part of this after that - with possibly another dark story in between part 2 and 3 of this trilogy. I also have to decide what story to start publishing next Tuesday. Do I go for a family Dramione, or try something new with my first multi-chapter Lucissa? Any thoughts people have would be most welcome, and I would be especially keen to know if people would read a longer Lucissa story.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N – Firstly I just want to thank everyone for sharing their opinions with me. I read and took notice of every single one of them, but as I'm sure you appreciate it's impossible to go with what everyone wants unless I'm going to publish everything at once and leave myself devoid of new stories to publish in the future.**

 **I have to admit, I was sort of leaning towards one option for the dark stories, and I think the majority of views seemed to be thinking along the same lines. So once this story is finished, there will be a couple of weeks break before I return with the Goddess sequel (which I've yet to find a name for). Part 2 of this trilogy will then be published after the Goddess sequel.**

 **Tuesdays and Thursdays were a bit trickier, but again one option seemed to have a slight majority, so starting tomorrow I will be posting my Lucissa story. And for those of you who wanted the family Dramione, don't worry, it will be the next story published after the Lucissa one. I also wanted to assure people that even though I am branching out with my pairings, and have a couple of different stories in the works, I have no intention of leaving behind Dramione. They will still be the couple I write about the most and even in some of my different stories, they will still play a part.**

 **And while I know not everyone will read the Lucissa story, which is totally their choice and I respect that (after all I wouldn't dream of reading or writing a story with either Draco or Hermione with anyone else), I appreciate that so many people are interested in reading it. I also just wanted to say that the story is the first in a new universe I'm planning to explore from time to time (in fact I'm already writing a second story in the same universe). Initially it will start off as Lucissa, but once Draco is around and grown up, the focus will likely switch to Dramione, and there may even be stories more focused on Dramione's children.**

 **I also had someone asking me why I didn't publish my stories all at once if it was finished (which is something I have been asked before), so I thought I would answer here. The reason I publish a couple of chapters a week is so that people have a steady stream of work to read. Also, if I published my stories all in one go, I would soon run out of fresh stories to publish and there would be months in between new stories being published. Publishing like I do gives me a chance to work on multiple stories, and gives me plenty of breathing space in finishing them. And I do think that if I published an entire story at once, I would soon grow bored of not having anything new to publish, so I would either rush stories or stop publishing altogether. So since I don't want to do either of those things, I will continue to work the way that best suits me.**

 **So thanks again for your views, and your support, and I hope you enjoy the last few chapters of Step into Darkness.**

* * *

Hermione could hardly believe the lengths Dumbledore had gone to in order to protect his dirty little secret, and she was furious that to protect his own reputation he'd destroyed not only hers, but had dragged Severus and Draco into the mix. It was bad enough that he was portraying Severus as someone who would take advantage of his students and lure them into the Dark Arts, but he'd pulled Draco into things and he'd had nothing to do with what had been going on. As far as Dumbledore knew, Draco was as much in the dark as the general wizarding public, but yet that hadn't stopped the headmaster from trashing an innocent teenagers reputation. Hermione was under no illusions that she and Draco would always be known as the two students who had practised the Dark Arts at Hogwarts and plotted to kill Harry.

Hermione was just hoping that Harry wasn't buying Dumbledore's lies and knew that she would never do anything to hurt him. The problem was, aside from the first letter she'd received off him, she'd heard no more from her friend. She was guessing that the Order were keeping a close watch on him, and maybe he wasn't able to write to her, but she was still worried about him. So just to make sure Harry knew that Dumbledore was lying, Hermione wrote to her friend again and borrowing Draco's owl, she sent him off with a message to her best friend.

"Do you expect him to answer?" Draco asked as they watched his majestic eagle owl soar into the sky.

"Not really," Hermione replied. "But I had to let him know that Dumbledore's claims aren't true. I don't want to think that he could believe that I would plot to kill him."

"If Potter has a brain, which I have to admit I've sometimes had my doubts about, he won't believe any of the rubbish Dumbledore is spreading," Draco said.

"But other people are going to believe it, aren't they?" Hermione whispered. So far they didn't know if Dumbledore had already gone to the press, but after the talk in Lucius's study, he'd gone off to see if he could get the truth out to the wizarding public before Dumbledore reached them with his lies.

"Yes," Draco answered with a nod of his head. "There are plenty of people who will be only too willing to believe it. Firstly, half the wizarding world think Dumbledore is a saint and can do no wrong. Those people would believe him if he said the sky was sodding red. And then there's those who'll look at Severus's past as a Death Eater and think that it was only a matter of time before he started to corrupt the students."

"And what about you and me?" Hermione asked. "Will people really believe we were meeting in secret to learn the Dark Arts?"

"I'm a Malfoy, Hermione," Draco said with a bitter laugh. "People will believe the worst of me. And I guess with you, the so called proof you're a dark witch is the fact you're with us. You have to hand it to Dumbledore, he's turned everything on it's head and made even the most innocent of acts seem suspicious. I bet you any money there's people we go to school with who'll come out of the woodwork and claim they've seen us together around the castle."

"But we weren't," Hermione pointed out. "Until I came to the manor, I don't think we've exchanged one civil word to each other."

"Since when does the truth matter to fame hungry attention seekers?" Draco snorted. "Someone could end up in the papers, just by making up stories about us. Hell, for all we know, Dumbledore's going to encourage it. He's going to want as many people as he can get to take his side. I think you're going to have to prepare yourself for the fact that people you thought were friends are going to turn into enemies."

"As long as Harry doesn't turn on me, I can cope," Hermione replied.

"Then let's hope that Potter really is the friend you think he is," Draco answered quietly as he turned away from the window and wandered across the room towards the door.

Taking one final look out of the window, even though Draco's owl was long gone, Hermione turned and followed Draco from the room. Silently they both headed back downstairs, knowing that there was a lot more that needed to be discussed. After the talk in Lucius's study, the three adult wizards had all headed off to do their own thing, but it was clear that the conversation wasn't over. Even if by some miracle they had reached the press first, they would still need a plan of action on how to deal with Dumbledore and his lies.

"How are you two doing?" Narcissa asked when the pair entered the main living room and found her curled up in the chair beside the fire, Crookshanks on her lap, purring contentedly as Narcissa fussed over him.

"Feeling a bit like an idiot, if I'm honest," Hermione admitted, settling down on the smallest sofa, while Draco perched on the larger one. "I've been so naive. When I arrived here I figured we could learn the truth and everything would all work out. I thought the people who'd kidnapped me as a baby would be brought to justice. Strangely enough, I thought that overhearing a plot to kill me, would result in some form of justice."

"The Ministry aren't the only people capable of issuing justice," Narcissa said softly. "Do you honestly think your father will just let this matter drop, Hope? His plan may be to retreat at the moment, but you can bet that everyone involved in what happened to you will pay for the choices they made."

Silently, Hermione digested Narcissa's words. She knew Voldemort's justice would be a hell of a lot different than the Ministry's version of justice. If the Ministry had acted, arrests would have been made and prison sentences would have been the likely outcome. However, Voldemort's justice would likely mean death and destruction. Hermione just had to decide if she could live with playing a part in that sort of justice. Because Hermione knew that even if she wasn't personally involved, it would be happening, and by staying with Voldemort she would be condoning his actions.

The other alternative was walking away and the one thing Hermione did know was that she didn't want to do that. Finding out Voldemort was her father may have given her the shock of a lifetime, in fact even now she still woke up in the middle of night grappling with the idea, but it was her reality now and she wasn't going to walk away from the life that had once been stolen from her. Truth be told, Hermione had no real idea where she stood any more. But she did know she'd been given a second chance with her father, and nothing in the world was going to make her walk away from him.

Hermione was still lost in thoughts about her father, and the situation she'd found herself in, when the adults began to filter back into the room. Severus was the first to arrive, thanking Narcissa for the use of a guest room and assuring her that he was all settled in and the elves hadn't left anything behind at his cottage. Voldemort entered the room shortly after Severus, settling down beside Hermione and checking that his daughter was coping with the day's events. And finally, Lucius entered the room, a look of frustration etched on his face.

"We're too late, aren't we?" Voldemort asked in a sigh as Lucius headed straight for the bar and poured everyone a stiff drink.

"We are," Lucius confirmed. Pulling a paper from his robes he handed it to The Dark Lord. "A preview of tomorrow's Prophet."

Hermione leaned closer to her father as he unfolded the paper. The front page was dominated by a picture of Hogwarts, surrounded by three smaller ones of Severus, Hermione and Draco. The headline blared about a Dark Trio plotting death and destruction at Hogwarts. Most of the article was inside of the paper, but from the beginning of it, Hermione could see that it was going to repeat the exact same lies Dumbledore had fooled the Ministry with. Not wanting to see more, Hermione turned away from the paper. However, Voldemort devoured the entire thing, before passing the paper over to Severus.

"How bad is it?" Hermione asked Voldemort.

"Pretty bad," Voldemort replied, choosing not to lie and sugar-coat things as his daughter would have to face what they were dealing with head on. "It covers everything Lucius was told at the Ministry. Severus is named as an active Death Eater, and you and Draco are named as his apprentices. There's apparent plots to kill Potter and Dumbledore mentioned, and evidence that was supposedly found in Severus's office and classroom at Hogwarts."

"Because if we had been practising the Dark Arts, we would leave evidence just lying around," Hermione snorted. "Does it mention Harry's reaction to the news?"

"No," Voldemort replied. "A source close to him is quoted as saying he's inconsolable after the betrayal of his best friend. I'm not sure if we'll ever know if he believes the lies or not."

"He won't," Hermione insisted loyally.

"And the other thing is that the paper seems to have changed it's tune about my return," Voldemort said. "Barely a week ago, Potter and Dumbledore were unstable, attention seeking liars, but now they're the pillars of our community and above suspicion. My guess is the Ministry will soon follow their example and agree with Dumbledore that I'm back."

"Will that be a problem?" Hermione asked.

"Not really," Voldemort replied with a sly smirk. "To be honest it doesn't matter if they believe I'm back or not, they'll still not be able to predict my next move."

"And what is your next move?"

"We'll discuss that later," Voldemort said, noticing that Severus and Narcissa had finished with the paper. "Right now, we need to discuss the immediate future," he said in slightly louder voice, including everyone in the conversation.

"Contingency plans," Draco said as his father joined him on the sofa.

"Contingency plans," Lucius confirmed with a nod. "Obviously we were all hoping that the truth would come out and Dumbledore would be dealt with. In that case, we were confident that we could give Hope enough protection for the pair of you to return to Hogwarts as normal."

"But that can't happen, because Dumbledore is still there," Hermione said. "Although given the allegations he's making against myself and Draco, I expect us both to be expelled," she finished with a slight sob, the thought of being expelled from school breaking her heart.

"Damn it," Draco cursed. "If I'm going to be expelled, I would rather it be for something I've had the pleasure of doing."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at Draco, and from the smug smirk that crept over his lips, she guessed that had been his intention all along. Mouthing a thank you to her new friend, she turned her attention back to Lucius, to see what else he had to say.

"Even though we hoped for the best, we planned for the worst," Lucius continued once he had the two teenagers fill attention. "And we've got two alternative plans. To be honest, we all prefer one plan over the other, but we agreed from the beginning to include you in our plans, so the pair of you are going to get a chance to have your say."

"So what are our choices?" Draco asked.

"The first plan is that Severus and I home school you here at the manor," Narcissa said. "However, the drawbacks are that we can't guarantee Hope's safety outside of the manor. To be honest we can't even guarantee your safety, Draco. If Dumbledore and his Order had no problems kidnapping a baby, we all agree that they won't have any qualms about taking a teenager to get what they want."

"So basically we would be prisoners here?" Draco questioned with a frown.

"Although with Severus soon to be a wanted criminal, we're going to have to be extra careful," Lucius cautioned. "I said that the Ministry didn't have the proof to get a search warrant, but they won't stop trying and sooner or later they might just get one."

"No offence, but that doesn't sound like a great plan," Hermione said.

"It was better before there was an arrest warrant for Severus drawn up," Voldemort conceded. "And besides, we all agree the second plan is better."

"And what is the second plan?" Hermione asked.

"You and Draco are still home schooled be Severus and I," Narcissa said. "Only not at the manor. Our plan is to leave the country."

"With our money and resources, we can just vanish and not even Dumbledore will be able to find us," Lucius said.

"So what? We just leave our lives here and go into hiding?" Hermione questioned, amazed that Voldemort would do such a thing for her.

"It wouldn't be hiding, it would be temporarily relocating," Voldemort replied. "In another country, you and Draco can have some freedom. And it would only be until you finished your school work. After that you can make your own choices, Hope. You can stay wherever we settle, or you can help me bring down Dumbledore and his Order."

"What do you think?" Hermione asked Draco.

"How could we be sure no-one could find us?" Draco asked. "Hermione and I are both under-age. Why wouldn't the Ministry just use the trace to find us?"

"The trace only works in this country," Lucius supplied. "Wherever we do settle, we'll have to register with their authorities and they'll be the ones who can trace you. But not every foreign Ministry applies the trace, and even the ones who do, won't go giving out your location to a foreign Ministry. Besides, this will be where our money and influence come into play, and I can ensure that whatever country we end up in will deny we're even there. If we go for option two, we won't be found."

"Then I say go for option two," Draco said with a slight sigh, thinking of all his friends he would have to leave behind.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked the blond wizard. "You'd have to leave your friends, Draco. At least at the manor, you could still see them in the holidays. The last thing I want is to force everyone to leave their lives behind to keep me safe."

"You're not forcing us to do anything," Draco replied. "We're all doing this because it's the right thing to do. Don't fight us, Hermione. Let us look after you. You agree with the second plan as well, don't you?"

"It does sound the better option," Hermione said with a nod. "Although I'm guessing it still needs sorting."

"It does," Lucius confirmed. "But we've still got several weeks of the summer to sort everything. Draco, we'll make sure you can say goodbye to your friends. But by the first of September, we'll be settled in out new home."

"And just so you know, I will be devising a proper school schedule," Narcissa warned the teenagers. "There will be no slacking on my watch. You two will have the best eduction we can provide."

"And if you want, I can even teach you a bit of magic," Voldemort offered.

Draco hastily accepted the offer, eager to learn from the dark wizard. However, Hermione was a bit more hesitant as she wasn't sure she was ready to learn dark magic. Luckily Voldemort wasn't offended, and he promised her that he would only show her the magic she was comfortable with. If she wanted to learn dark magic then so be it, but if she didn't, he had other magical skills that he would be only too happy to share with his long-lost daughter.


	18. Chapter 18

Fresh from the shower, Draco stood in front of the large floor length mirror on his bedroom, magically drying his hair and styling it perfectly. Behind him, Hermione was lying on his bed and through the mirror he could see her scowling at something. Since the day's edition of The Daily Prophet was also lying on his bed, he suspected she was scowling at whatever lies were being printed in the paper that particular day.

Since the original story had broken in the papers, which had been a few weeks since, not a day had passed without a fresh story appearing in The Daily Prophet. Some stories focused on Voldemort's return, something that Ministry were no longer denying and instead had issued warnings that the entire country was in danger. Other stories focused on Severus, and the fact that he'd vanished before he could be arrested and he was now a wanted criminal. However, most of the stories focused on Hermione, which Draco was convinced was Dumbledore's doing.

The Weasleys has spoken out more than once about Hermione, and just recently Ron had given a tearful interview alongside his parents, expressing his heartache at how Hermione had betrayed them all. Harry hadn't issued any sort of statement, or given any sort of interview, but there were still constant references to him being too distraught to talk to anyone about the situation with Hermione. All in all, Dumbledore was doing a superb job of making Hermione look like a truly evil and despicable person.

Knowing that not even the truth would help matters, and Dumbledore would likely only use it against them, the dark side had stayed silent. However, Draco knew that his father was passing the truth onto his trusted friends, and before long there would be an underground rumour that Hermione was Voldemort's daughter and the story everyone was being told was all lies. Of course most people still wouldn't believe it, but a few people might, and at the end of the day their belief might make the difference in the war that was still going to come to the wizarding world sooner or later.

"You're only making things harder on yourself reading that trash. Why do you care what lies Dumbledore is spreading today? The truth will come out eventually and bite him on his scrawny arse," Draco remarked, finally happy his hair was perfect and turning away from the mirror. However, once he got closer to the bed, he could see that Hermione wasn't scowling at the paper, it was a letter she had resting on top of the paper. "And re-reading that won't change things either," he added. "It's not like the letters were unexpected."

That morning both he and Hermione had received owls from Hogwarts, only instead of the letters listing the things they would need for a new term, they were expulsion letters. Dumbledore had very publically stated that he didn't want any charges brought against Hermione and Draco for practising the Dark Arts, although they all knew it was to keep them away from the Ministry in case they said enough to get people wondering about the real story. However, it wasn't a big surprise that he'd ensured that they could no longer go back to Hogwarts.

"I know, but I'm still so furious," Hermione snarled looking up at Draco, who could see the fire in her deep brown eyes. "Dumbledore has taken everything from me. First he took me away from my family and caused so much pain that my mother died. Now, thanks to him, I'll never get the chance to know the witch who gave birth to me. Then he brought me back into this world, and instead of keeping quiet about who I was, he told the one person who was petty enough to hate me for who my father is. Now because of that, I was forced to run from the life I did have, and I've lost all my friends. Now he's taken Hogwarts away from me as well. It was the only place I've ever felt as though I fit in," she ended with a whisper.

"You fit in here, with us," Draco said softly.

Over the course of the summer he'd seen several sides of Hermione, and while on a whole she was strong and fierce, there was a sensitive underbelly to her and she brought out his protective side. Although that wasn't to say he wasn't still slightly wary of her as he strongly suspected that if she allowed herself then she truly could become a dangerous, formidable witch who would make her father very proud.

"I have to admit, I feel more at home here than I ever thought I would," Hermione conceded. Running to the manor had originally been a necessity to keep her safe, but the large house had quickly begun to feel like home. "But that doesn't change what Dumbledore did."

"Nothing can ever change that," Draco replied softly. "He will always be the reason your mother is dead, and why you never knew your father growing up. What he did was unforgivable, but one day he will pay for it."

"He will," Hermione agreed with a firm nod of her head. "I'll make sure of it."

"I'm sure you will," Draco smirked, wondering if Hermione was aware of just how much of her darker nature she was allowing to show just lately. "I better be getting downstairs before people start arriving. Are you sure I don't want to join us?"

"No, they're your friends, Draco," Hermione said as she hopped off the large bed. "You deserve a chance to say goodbye without me making things awkward. Besides, I've got a book I want to finish."

Letting Hermione go off to her reading, Draco headed down to the ground floor of the manor. He already knew one of the large garden tables was set up outside so he could spend one final afternoon with his friends, before they went their separate ways for an unknown amount of time. Even if he hadn't been expelled, it wasn't like he would have been returning to Hogwarts as plans were under way for everyone to move to the other side of the world until he and Hermione had finished their education and Voldemort was ready to take out Dumbledore once and for all.

Draco reached the floo room just in time to witness the fire light up twice in quick succession and his two oldest friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, enter the house. Draco had known both Vince and Greg forever, and the thought of not seeing them for such an unknown period of time made him sad. He was sure that to people outside of their friendship it looked as though he merely treated his two friends as minions, and maybe to a certain degree he was guilty of sometimes doing that, but there was also a deep bond between the trio and Draco knew he would never have two more loyal and trustworthy friends than Vince and Greg.

"Are the rumours true, Draco?" Greg asked after greetings has been exchanged. "Father said you were being expelled from Hogwarts."

"I got my expulsion letter this morning," Draco replied.

"Damn, what will you do now?" Vince asked.

"All will be explained," Draco answered mysteriously. "I've invited the others, so why don't you two go and get the elves to rustle up some pumpkin juice and some snacks while I wait for the others. I thought we could spend the afternoon in the garden."

Obediently Vince and Greg headed off to sort the snacks, while Draco awaited the rest of their friends. Next to arrive was Pansy Parkinson, who greeted Draco with a bone crushing hug. Pansy was also one of his oldest friends, and even though there were times she could be downright annoying and Draco could happily throttle her, he knew he would miss her unwavering support. Not to mention her wicked tongue as she was the queen of nasty put downs and often at school she'd made Draco laugh with her opinions on their Professors and school mates.

"What is all this nonsense in the papers, Draco?" Pansy demanded. "Because I know that you haven't been sneaking around with Granger."

"I'll explain everything this afternoon," Draco promised. "Vince and Greg are already outside, you go and join them while I wait for the others."

"The others?" Pansy frowned. "Is everyone coming?"

"Yep," Draco replied with a nod.

"There's something going on, isn't there?" Pansy asked. "Why else would you summon us all here?"

"You make me sound like some sort of king, summoning my courtiers," Draco laughed.

"You're a prince at best," Pansy sniffed haughtily.

"The Slytherin Prince, I like it," Draco grinned as Pansy gave him an unimpressed look and strolled out of the room.

After Pansy's arrival the other Slytherins girls put in appearances. Daphne Greengrass was another person Draco had known since before Hogwarts, but it had only been in the last four years that they're really gotten close. Millicent Bullstrode was someone Draco had sort of known before Hogwarts, but like Daphne, their friendship hadn't really began until Hogwarts. And finally there was Tracey Davis, a witch Draco had never met before Hogwarts, but as with the other Slytherins, she was now a firm friend.

After the girls, it was the turn of Theo Nott to arrive. Draco had known Theo almost as long as he'd know Vince and Greg, but before Hogwarts the pair had never really gotten along. Draco had always thought Theo was up himself and boring, but once they were sharing dorms he realised that Theo had just been shy and when you got to know him, he was a really good guy. Not that Theo was half as shy these days, and Draco liked to think that he'd played a role in his friend's developing confidence.

"What a mess you're in Draco," Theo remarked with an arched eyebrow. "Expelled before taking your O.W.L.S."

"I'm bad to the bone, Theo," Draco remarked with a smirk.

"More like a pawn in Dumbledore's games," Theo snorted. "Your father was at ours last week and I overheard him talking to father. I take it he was telling the truth about Granger."

"If he was saying that she's The Dark Lord's daughter, then yes, it's the truth," Draco replied. "But don't tell the others. I don't think they know yet and I want to be the one to tell them."

"Your secret is safe with me," Theo promised. "Where are the others?"

"Outside. Once Blaise arrives, we'll join you."

"Trust Blaise to be the last one to arrive," Theo chuckled.

"You know Blaise, always got to make an entrance," Draco returned as Theo headed off to join their other friends.

The last member of their group was Blaise Zabini. Blaise had been a bit of an enigma when he'd been sorted in Slytherin in first year. No-one knew him, and no-one had heard of his family. Blaise had been completely upfront and admitted that even though his mother reckoned he was a pureblood, he couldn't be entirely sure of his blood status as he had no idea who his father was. Even so, his cheeky personality and charm had won them all over and he was soon at the very heart of the group. In fact, Draco would bet that without him at Hogwarts, Blaise would become the undisputed leader of the Slytherins.

"Sorry I'm late," Blaise called as he stumbled from the floo nearly ten minutes later. "My mother is on the lookout for a new husband and waylaid me with pictures of her latest options."

"What does she do, pick them out of catalogues?" Draco asked with a bemused laugh. Blaise's mother was something of a black widow and in the four years they'd known Blaise his mother had gone through several husbands and partners.

"She scours magazines looking for single, rich, good-looking wizards," Blaise replied.

"Do they have to be all three?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Blaise answered with a nod. "She doesn't do anything other than rich. After all, you need to have a fortune to keep her in the lifestyle she's accustomed to. She prefers them single as it's easier than tearing them away from wives or partners, and they have to be good looking or she struggles to feign interest in their lives. At least if they're handsome she can pretend to be listening and just distract herself with their looks."

"Your mother is the shallowest person I've ever met," Draco remarked.

"Me too," Blaise snorted. "But I doubt you asked me over to talk about my horror of a mother."

"You're right, I didn't," Draco agreed. "Let's go outside and join the others."

"Ah, so you've summoned everyone. Must be serious," Blaise remarked as they headed off to join the others.

"You're the second person to say I summoned people," Draco said with a frown. "Is that really what I do? Expect people to be at my beck and call?"

"You know you do, Draco," Blaise laughed. "But that's part of who you are and what makes you top dog."

"My days as top dog are gone," Draco remarked.

"Why?" Blaise asked. "Because of the rubbish the Prophet's been printing?"

"How do you know it's rubbish?" Draco questioned.

"Because I know you, and I know Professor Snape. Granted, I've never been able to quite work out where the guys loyalties lie, but I do know he wouldn't teach dark magic to under-age students. Not to mention, I would have noticed if you were sneaking around with Granger."

"Not if we were careful."

"Even sneaking around carefully, someone would have seen something or gotten suspicious over something," Blaise argued with a shake of his head. "Besides, you've never been missing long enough to be learning dark magic. Unless Snape was teaching one spell in a matter of minutes. It doesn't add up, Draco."

"That's because you're right and it's all lies," Draco replied as they emerged from the manor and into the back garden.

Joining the others, Draco and Blaise grabbed some food and a drink, before Draco breached himself to break the news to his friends that he was leaving. However, before he could do that, he first had to tell them the truth. Even though Hermione had given him permission to tell his friends everything, he still felt as though he was betraying her by telling his friends all her secrets and everything that had happened over the holidays.

"Well that was unexpected," Blaise remarked once Draco had told his story, and everyone else but Theo were just gaping at Draco, unsure of what to say.

"That's a bit of an understatement, Blaise," Draco laughed as the others continued to digest the news.

"Is she here?" Daphne asked quietly.

"Yes, she's here," Draco confirmed. "I wanted her to come and meet you all, but she wanted me to have this time alone with you since you're my friends."

"That's big of her," Pansy remarked cattily.

"Pansy, none of this is Hermione's fault," Draco warned his friend. "She's the victim in all this. She didn't ask to be kidnapped as a baby, and she didn't ask to find herself at the centre of a murder plot either."

"I know that," Pansy muttered. "And I do feel sorry for her. But she's still the girl we've all hated for the last four years."

"I'm not sure she was ever that girl," Draco admitted. "I've gotten to know her over the summer, and her know-it-all act is just a façade. Using her intelligence to seemingly show off is just her way of coping with being in a world she didn't grow up in. It makes her feel safe knowing that she's smart enough to learn magic so easily. When she came to Hogwarts she was terrified that there had been a mistake and she would be kicked out for not having enough magic."

"She told you all this?" Theo asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Some of it, and some of it I worked out for myself," Draco answered. "The point is, there's more to her than we saw at school."

"I'm sure we'll get to find that out for ourselves," Daphne remarked. "I take it we will be getting to know her. Even if neither of you are coming back to school."

"Not coming back to school?" Blaise gasped, having been somewhat out of the loop as his mother wasn't part of the same pureblood circles as his friend's parents. "What am I missing?"

"Use your brain, Blaise," Pansy scolded. "Surely you've read the papers and seen what they're saying about Draco and Granger. Do you really think Dumbledore would just allow them to return to school when he's accusing them of using dark magic?"

"You've been expelled?" Blaise questioned, turning to his closest friend in the group, silently begging Draco to tell him it wasn't true.

"As of this morning," Draco confirmed. "Not that it mattered, as we weren't returning anyway. In fact, this meeting is a goodbye. We're leaving the country next week, and we're not sure when we'll be back."

"Leaving?" Pansy cried, tears starting to pool in her dark eyes. "How can you be leaving?"

"The Dark Lord wants to protect his daughter," Draco explained. "Plus we're harbouring Professor Snape, and sooner or later the Ministry will find a way to search the manor."

"But why do you have to leave?" Pansy demanded with a sullen pout. "The Dark Lord could take Granger and leave, and Snape could go with them. It's not fair that they're dragging you along as well."

"It's not safe for us either, Pans," Draco said softly. "Dumbledore knows where Hermione is. He already decided she was a danger as a baby, so one day soon he's going to consider her a danger again. And when he comes for her, we don't want to be here. If he could take a baby from her parents, do you really think he would think twice about snatching me and forcing me to talk? We're all leaving, and it's already been decided."

"When will you be back?" Greg asked sadly, feeling slightly lost at the thought of losing Draco.

"Definitely not until Hermione and I have finished our schooling."

"But that's three years," Daphne gasped.

"I know, and it might even be longer," Draco admitted. "But I'll write to you, even though I can't tell you where we're going. And you can write to me and keep me up to date with what's going on. But I will be back."

"Promise?" Pansy asked quietly.

Reaching across the table for his friend's hand, Draco took hold of it and gave it a squeeze. "I promise, Pans. It's going to take more than Albus sodding Dumbledore to bring down the Malfoys. Plus, I don't think The Dark Lord is going to come with us full time. I get the impression he's still got plenty to do here. The fight isn't over, it's only the beginning."


	19. Chapter 19

Hermione was in a reflective mood as she double checked around the guest room at Malfoy Manor, which she'd come to think of as her room. She was checking that she hadn't left anything behind as today was moving day. With only a few days to go before the beginning of September it was the day, Hermione, Severus and the Malfoys were leaving Wizarding Britain behind.

For weeks the adults had planned the move, and as of yet Hermione and Draco had no idea where they were going. All they knew was that it was outside of Europe and if Dumbledore did manage to find them it would be a complete and utter fluke. Not that they were really worried about Dumbledore spending much time looking for them as Voldemort had made it clear that he was still going to be around Wizarding Britain and he had a few plans to keep Dumbledore and his Order busy.

With the move arranged, everyone had spent the last few days packing and the elves had been transporting their belongings to the new house. Not that you could tell the manor was about to be left as nothing was out of place. Not one piece of furniture had been removed from the manor. Only personal effects and belongings had been packed.

When Hermione had packed, she'd also included everything she had at home in the muggle world. Given what they were doing, Hermione had been worried about her parents and what might happen to them once word leaked out that she'd left the country. Since the Grangers hadn't realised the full story when they'd adopted Hermione, and because they'd raised her and loved her, Voldemort had agreed to keep the muggle couple safe. However to do so, he and Lucius had to relocate them and completely wipe their memories of Hermione.

Hermione knew it had been the right thing to do, both for herself and for her parents, but it didn't mean it still didn't hurt when she'd endured an emotional farewell with the couple who had raised her. Losing her parents was yet another blow to Hermione, just one of what seemed like hundreds over the course of the summer, and it another loss she blamed Dumbledore for. Voldemort may have been the one to obliviate her parents, but he'd done so to keep them safe from Dumbledore. Yet again Hermione had lost people she loved because of the action Dumbledore had taken when she was just a baby.

Blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall at the thought of everyone she'd lost thanks to the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Hermione resolutely completed her check of the room and turned to Crookshanks, who was lying on the bed. Opening his wicker carrying basket, she placed it beside her cat.

"Come on Crooks," she muttered. "It's time to go."

As if understanding what she'd said, which thanks to his half-kneazle nature he likely did, Crookshanks padded into the basket and curled up as Hermione fastened the door. Taking one final look around the bedroom, Hermione picked up Crookshanks basket and making sure her wand was tucked safely into her jacket pocket, she left the bedroom and headed towards the ground floor of the manor.

Halfway down the main staircase of the manor, Hermione paused as the front hallway came into view and she saw that everyone was waiting for her. Taking in the five people gathered in the hallway, Hermione took a moment to reflect on her summer and how her life had changed. She also took a moment to appreciate what every single person in the hallway below had done for her.

First, there was Voldemort – her father. Not only had he welcomed her back with open arms and hadn't judged her for being raised with muggles, but he'd been far more understanding than Hermione had ever thought possible. Not once had he pushed her into anything she wasn't ready to do, and even now, he didn't complain that she very rarely addressed him as father. He'd also answered all her questions about her past, and he hadn't hidden his emotional, human side. He'd shared his pain with her, and proven to Hermione that despite his dark nature, he was capable of love and he loved her with all his heart.

Next there was Severus. Even when Hermione had first gone to him for help, she hadn't anticipated the lengths he would ultimately go to for her. There was no way of knowing that at the beginning of the summer, when she went to him as her only option for help, he would end up changing his whole life for her. Because of her, he'd fully pledged his loyalty to Voldemort, had walked away from the Order and his job as a Professor, and had even ended up being falsely accused of practising the Dark Arts with under-age students. Now Severus was a wanted criminal and was moving away with them, and Hermione knew it was all because of her. She owned him so much more than she could ever express and she would forever be grateful that in her time of need, he was firmly in her corner.

And finally came the Malfoys. Lucius and Narcissa had welcomed her into their home and had treated her as though she was part of the family. Even though she knew it would have been easier to send her off into hiding on her own, she knew that it was never an option for the couple. From the moment she'd set foot in the manor, she'd become an honorary part of the family, and she'd learnt over the summer that there was nothing more important to the Malfoys than family.

Finally Hermione's attention turned to the handsome blond wizard, who'd become a fast friend. She'd been so nervous the morning she'd first conversed with Draco, and to be honest, she hadn't expected that he would want anything to do with her. But he'd surprised her by offering her the hand of friendship, and even though they were still just getting to know each other, Hermione already trusted him with her life. In fact the only other person she'd ever felt as comfortable, and as safe with, was Harry.

As if sensing he was being watched, Draco suddenly looked up and flashed Hermione a reassuring grin. "Are you ready for the adventure?" he called up to her.

Smiling back at the blond she once again began her descent down the stairs. "I am. So do we finally find out where we're going?"

"It's a surprise," Voldemort replied with a chuckle as his daughter joined them in the hallway.

"Now that everyone's here, it's time to move," Lucius said, picking up a vase which was standing on a table behind him. "Everybody hold on," he ordered.

Exchanging one final nervous look with Draco, Hermione reached out to grab the vase, which was obviously a port key. No sooner did everyone have a firm grip on the vase than the magic began and in a whirl of light, the small group left Malfoy Manor to head to their new lives in a new country, far from Wizarding Britain and more importantly, far from Albus Dumbledore.

* * *

Settling back into Hogwarts without Hermione was proving to be a struggle for Harry. Especially as everyone had read the stories in The Daily Prophet, and the vast majority of people were believing the lies. It didn't seem to matter to people that they'd known Hermione for years, they were still all too willing to believe the worst. Of course it was made easier to believe the worst when Ron and Ginny were more than happy to act as though the stories in the papers were telling the truth.

Aside from telling the real story a couple of people he could trust, like Neville Longbottom, Harry stayed quiet on the subject. He'd spent the last half of the summer making plans, and he'd already decided the way forward was not to make waves. He was aware that until he was seventeen his under-age trace would make escaping the Order impossible, so he'd accepted that they were going to be part of his life for the next two years. However, he also knew that escaping was going to be easier if they stopped watching him like a hawk and thought he was accepting things the way they now were.

So for the time being, Harry's plan was to slowly start to make it look as though he was accepting the Order. In truth he would never trust them again, nor would he ever forgive them for what they'd done to Hermione. But if he ever wanted to be free, he needed to have them thinking that Hermione was in the past. Harry knew it wasn't going to be easy, and he knew that he was going to have to stop mentioning Hermione. He wanted the Order to think that he'd moved past her and forgotten all about the witch who had been his best friend for the last four years.

However, in private Harry had no intention of every forgetting Hermione. He'd known before they'd gone back to school that Dumbledore had expelled both her and Draco Malfoy. Harry even felt sorry for the blond Slytherin, as he was yet another unwitting pawn in Dumbledore's plans. But his anger at Dumbledore increased severely when word started to spread from the Slytherins that Draco and his family had left the country. Even before Dumbledore had confirmed that Hermione seemed to be with them, Harry knew his best friend was gone. Not only had Dumbledore thrown her out of school, but he'd caused her to flee the country. All Harry could do now was hope that she was safe and that the Malfoys had a way of preventing Dumbledore using the fact she was under-age to find her and continue his persecution of her.

In the hopes that he could at least find out if his friend was safe, Harry had spent the first few days back at Hogwarts writing a letter to Hermione. Now he was at school he had Hedwig back and was free to send letters to whoever he wanted to. Although he was guessing that Dumbledore wasn't too bothered about him communicating with Hermione since it wasn't like he could spill any more secrets to her. If the Order were planning on doing more to her and her father, they weren't saying anything around Harry.

In the letter to Hermione, not only did Harry enquire about his friend's safety, but he also confided in her his plans to run away once he was seventeen. Even if he didn't get a response from Hermione, he was going to keep writing to her. Harry was determined that wherever Hermione was, she was going to know that he still loved and supported her. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Hermione knew that he hadn't abandoned her. He may have been stuck with the Order, but it was only for another two years. The second he turned seventeen he would be free, he just had to work out a plan of escape. But he had plenty of time for that, right now he had to focus on getting through the next two years without Hermione by his side.

"This isn't the end, Hermione," he whispered as he attached his letter for her to Hedwig's ankle. "Now, I don't know where Hermione is," he said to his beautiful snowy white owl. "But you can find her, Hedwig, I know you can. I need her to get this letter. I need her to know that she's not alone."

Giving Hedwig one final stroke, Harry walked over to the window and sent his owl soaring into the sky. He silently watched as Hedwig flew away from Hogwarts, carrying with him his hopes for the future. A future that would see him hopefully reunited with Hermione and away from the tainted Order of the Phoenix and their wicked leader.

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 **A/N – I want to thank you all for reading and supporting Step into Darkness. I'm going to take a small break from publishing on a Monday and Friday for the next couple of weeks, and when I return I will be posting the Goddess sequel. The second part of the Darkness Trilogy, is called Delve into Darkness and it will be published after the Goddess sequel. However, as I'm not yet finished that Goddess sequel, I can't say how long it will be before the second part of this is posted. However, I will post a note on this part, so no-one should miss the start of part two. But for now, thank you again for reading.**


	20. Part 2

**A/N – Just a quick note to say that the second part of the trilogy – Delve into Darkness – has now been posted.**


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